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I.I 


11.25 


|50  =^ 


IM 

2.2 


m 


t^     IllO 


1.4 


6" 


1.8 


1.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 
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23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


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^1 


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D 


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T 
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T 

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o 

fi 


G 
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tl 

SI 

o 

fi 

si 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


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24X 


28X 


32X 


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de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

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papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commandant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE ',  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  A  des  taux  de  rMuction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  A  partir 
de  Tangle  sup^rieur  gauche,  da  gauche  A  droits, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

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2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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SALMON  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST 


•BY- 


R.    D.    HUME, 

With  engravings,  sliowing  the  apparatus  used  for  their  artificial  propogation,  aud  the  operations  of  Salmon  Fishing 
and  Canning  as  conducted  at  Gold  Beach,  Curry  County,  Oregon,  U.  S.  A. 

1893. 


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188261 


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-TO- 


THOMAS   L.  FELLING,  Esq. 

By  whose  efforts  the  Canning  Industry  has  received  its  greatest  impulse. 
This  little  work  is  respectfully  dedicated 

BY 

THE  AUTHOB. 


I 


t 

■ 


PREFACE. 


To  call  the  attention  of  both  producer  and  consumer  to  the  danger  of  the  total 
exHnction  of  this  most  valuable  of  food  fishes,  and  provide  a  simple  method  for  their 
preservation  is  the  object  of  this  Little  Work. 


K    i 


mjmi^m^i^T^i^nmi^mrf'^^^^namrj^m^w^^^^^^^^'mrft 


WS| 


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THE  SALMON  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST. 


I.     Their  Influence  upon  the  Industries  and  Share  in  the 

Development  of  the  Northwest.    . 


By     K.     D      HUME. 


To  GIVE  the  reader  a  clear  idea  of  the  salmon 
industry  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  the  influ- 
ence it  has  had  in  the  development  of  the  North- 
west, it  will  be  necessary  to  give  a  brief  history  of 
the  salmon  canning  business,  the  advent  of  which 
practically  begins  the  salmon  fishing  era  of  the 
Pacific  Coast;  although  prior  to  that  time  the 
taking  of  salmon  had  been  done  to  considerable 
extent  to  supply  the  market  with  fresh  fish,  and 
a  moderate  quantity  had  been  salted.  But  in 
comparison  with  the  canning  business,  the  quan- 
tity taken  for  these  purposes  was  of  little  import- 
ance. 


The  business  of  canning  salmon  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  was  begun  in  the  spring  of  1864,  at  the  town 
of  Washington,  Yolo  county,  California,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Sacramento  river,  opposite  the  foot 
of  K  street,  Sacramento  city,  by  the  firm  of  Hap- 
good,  Hume  &  Co.,  the  firm  consisting  of  Andrew 
S.  Hapgood,  George  W.  and  William  Hume,  with 
the  writer  as  "sub"  under  small  pay,  but  with 
large  expectations  of  a  partnership  interest,  to  be 
realized  whenever  the  business  should  prove  the 
success  anticipated.  The  pack  of  the  first  year 
amounted  to  about  2,000  cases,  and  the  trials  and 
difficul'ies  attending  their  production  are  almost 


i     ! 


impossible  to  realize  and  describe,  after  the  lapse 
of  twenty-nine  years,  considering  the  improved 
methods  of  to-day.  The  business  being  in  the 
form  of  an  experiment,  and  the  tools  used  being 
of  the  most  primitive  character,  made  the  work 
necessarily  slow  and  difficult,  and  the  product 
defective.  As  I  cast  my  mind  backward  to  those 
early  days  of  the  business,  I  wonder  that  it  was 
not  given  up  in  despair.  At  least  fifty  per  cent 
of  the  product  spoiled  at  the  cannery  from  the 
effect  of  defective  work  as  we  had  at  that  time  no 
process  for  testing  for  leaks,  as  at  present;  conse- 
quently all  leaky  tins  were  lost;  and  there  were 
many  also  in  addition  to  those  so  imperfectly 
made  that  they  burst  in  cooking.  To  these 
troubles  were  added  the  difficulty  of  disposing  of 
that  part  of  the  product  that  was  good,  the  article 
being  new  to  the  merchants  of  San  Francisco, 
they  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  it  for  a  long 
time,  and  in  the  interim  the  firm  were  very  much 
discouraged  and  were  on  the  point  of  breaking 
up.  At  that  time  a  few  hundred  dollars  would 
have  purchased  all  their  interests  in  the  business. 
Just  at  the  darkest  time,  however,  a  merchant  of 
San  Francisco  advanced  shipping  charges  on  the 
lot  and  found  r  market  at  good  prices,  which 


awakened  a  new  enthusiasm,  and  the  business 
went  ahead  again. 

In  the  next  two  years  the  amount  packed  per 
annum  was  not  much  increased,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  salmon  in  the  Sacramento,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1866  William  Hume  went  to  the  Colum- 
bia i^  see  what  could  be  done.  Upon  his  return 
with  favorable  reports,  G.W.  Hume  also  went  to 
the  Columbia,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  site 
and  building  a  cannery  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings, that  should  be  ready  for  the  reception  of 
the  others,  who  went  there  some  time  in  October 
of  that  year.  The  point  selected  by  him  was  iit 
Eagle  Cliff  in  Wahkiakum  county,  Washington, 
and  part  of  the  cannery  now  owned  and  operated 
there  by  Wm.  Hume  is  the  original  building  erod- 
ed by  him.  During  the  winter  of  18G6-G7  we  put  our 
machines  in  order  and  made  the  nets  and  cans 
for  the  spring  season  of  1867,  at  which  time  we 
packed  4,000  cases  of  48  cans  each. 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  there  was  but  little 
business  done  on  the  Columbia  river  below  Port- 
land, and  in  fact  Portland  itself  was  a  small  town, 
all  of  the  business  houses  being  located  on  Front 
and  First  streets.  The  business  of  the  lower  Co- 
lumbia river  was  done  at  St.  Helens,  Baiuier,  Oak 


-'.■aSi 


8 


W^Wt:   ^ 


Salmon   Flsliinff   at    Roitue   River. 


J 


Point,  Cathalamet  and  Astoria,  which  town 
boasted  one  small  wharf,  and  that  was  in  a  chron- 
ic state  of  dilapidation.  The  steamboat  service 
was  performed  by  a  small  side  wheel  steamer, 
called  the  John  H.  Couch,  which  made  tri-weekly 
trips  between  Portland  and  Astoria  with  the 
mails,  touching  at  each  of  the  [points  mentioned 
above.  Sometimes  she  would  get  a  achooner  to 
tow,  and  then  the  routine  was  broken,  as  it  would 
take  her  two  days  to  get  from  Astoria  to  Portland. 
At  this  date  her  passenger  list,  at  times,  would 
consist  of  a  solitp.ry  soldier  from  Fort  Stevens, 
who  had  been  discharged  or  granted  a  furlough; 
and  the  freight,  a  case  of  condemned  cartridges 
from  the  same  place.  At  this  time  the  business 
of  the  lower  Columbia  cut  but  a  small  figure — a 
wheezy  old  mill  at  Astoria  and  a  dilapidated  affair 
of  the  same  kind  at  each  of  the  other  places  on 
the  Columbia,  except  Cathalamet,  which  had 
nothing  in  the  way  of  manufactures,  comprised 
all  there  was  to  furnish  a  livlihood  for  the  labor- 
ers  of  that  section,  except  that  furnished  by  the 
few  engaged  in  salting  salmon,  and  that  work 
was  mostly  done  by  Indians. 

In  a  lapse  of   ten  years,  what  a  change  ! 
Portland  has  by  thig  time  become  a  city  of  im- 


10 


portance,  and  Astoria  has  stretched  itself  along 
three  miles  of  water  front;  while  instead  of  four 
small  landings  along  the  main  Columbia,  between 
Astoria  and  Portland  the  number  has  increased 
to  more  than  forty,  and  instead  of  one  small 
steamer  making  tri-weekly  trips,  we  have  four 
elegant  steamers  running  between  these  places 
daily,  besides  about  a  dozen  running  in  the  lish 
carrying  trade  for  the  use  of  the  canneries,  and 
in  plpi^e  of  a  product  of  4,000  cases  of  48  tins 
each,  we  have  a  product  of  450,000  cases,  of  the 
same  number  of  tins,  and  we  have  our  wheezy 
and  dilapidated  old  mills  running  night  and  day 
to  supply  the  demand  for  lumber  to  build  new 
canneries,  and  where  desolation  ruled  Y-  "fore  we 
find  signs  of  the  greatest  activity.  We  find  all 
trades  and  professions  plunging  to  get  a  whack 
at  this  new  El  Dorado,  all  seeking  a  fortune  to 
be  made  from  the  capture  of  the  sgaly  beauties. 
What  a  mine  of  wealth,  that  even  all  who  might 
plunge  might  be  enriched.  But  pll  good  things 
which  nature  has  furnished  havd  a  capacity 
beyond  which  they  cannot  be  strained,  and  the 
year  1883  brings  Columbia  its  maximum,  when 
the  vast  quantity  of  630,000  cases  was  reached; 
and  from  this  time  begiua  the  decline  of  the 


tself  along 
»ad  of  four 
ia,  between 

increased 
one  small 
have  four 
ese  places 
in  the  fish 
lories,  and 
of  48  tins 
ises,  of  tbe 
ur  wheezy 
tit  and  day 
build  new 

V^fore  we 
^e  find  all 
t  a  whaok 
fortuue  to 
T  beauties. 
vho  might 
)od  things 
capacity 
I,  and  the 
lum,  when 
,B  reached; 
.ne  of  tiie 


Gold   Beacta   Cannery   from   tlie    Sea. 


i 


salmon  product  of  that  wonderful  Btream.  Mean> 
while  the  streams  of  British  Columbia  have  been 
developed,  until  1882  marks  to  the  o  edit  of  that 
section  a  product  of  255,000  cases,  and  at  the 
same  time  Alaska  began  to  make  a  showing,  with 
a  pack  of  upwards  of  20,000  cases,  which  grad- 
ually increased  until  1892,  when  it  produced 
more  salmon  in  cases  than  the  Columbia  ri^^r, 
and  its  output,  added  to  that  of  British  Columbia, 
the  Columbia  river  and  other  rivers  of  Oregon, 
brings  the  total  pack  of  1892  up  to  1,323,000 
cases,  which  represents  in  value,  i\pproximately 
$6,549,000. 

What  a  contrast  between  the  years  1867  and 
1892,  as  regards  the  industry.  At  the  first  date 
one  cannery,  with  its  small  product,  having 
great  difficulty  in  obtaining  sufficient  employees 
to  prosecute  the  business,  while  in  1892,  in 
addition  to  the  large  number  of  canneries  in 
British  Columbia  and  on  the  Columbia  river, 
which  were  employing  thousands  of  people,  there 
was  not  a  stream  putting  into  the  ocean  along  the 
Oregon  and  California  coast,  which  can  be 
entered  even  by  the  lightest  draught  vessels,  that 
has  not  one  or  more  canneries  located  on  its 
banks,  forming  a  nucleus  from  which  radiate  the 


development  of  other  industries;  while  along  the 
whole  coast,  from  California  to  Alaska,  the 
business  has  become  an  important  factor  in  the 
development  of  such  sections  as  have  heretofoie 
been  considered  almost  inaccessible,  by  offering 
inducements  which  have  sent  the  pioneers  ahead 
to  begin  the  work  of  civilization,  that  in  a  few 
years  will  furnish,  in  addition  to  the  large  number 
now  engaged,  homes  and  employment  to  a  vast 
number  of  people,  if  rightly  fostered,  without  the 
stimulating  influence  of  which  these  sections 
would  remain  desolute  for  centuries. 

The  salmon  industry  of  the  Pacific  coast  has 
furnished  lucrative  employment  to  thousands, 
and  has  been  both  directly  and  indirectly  the 
means  by  which  very  many  have  made  for- 
tunes, and  who  without  its  benefits  would  per- 
haps find  themselves  out  of  employment  and 
lighter  in  pocket. 

In  view  of  the  great  importance  of  this  iudits* 
try,  it  would  seem  the  imperative  duty  of  all  en- 
gaged or  in  anywise  interested  in  the  business  to 
protect  and  preserve,  so  far  as  is  possible,  the 
source  from  which  the  essential  factor  springs, 
namely,  the  salmon  of  the  Pacific  coast;  aud  the 
best  efforts  of  the  minds  of  those  who  are  in  any 


12 


along  the 
aska,  the 
;or  iu  the 
leretofore 

offering 

3ers  ahead 

in  a  few 

fe  number 

to  a  vast 

ithont  the 

sections 

coast  has 
bousnncis, 
rectly  the 
made  for- 
ould  per- 
aeut   uud 

his  iudiis- 
of  all  en- 
isineHs  to 
sible,  the 
r  springs, 
;  and  the 
•6  in  any 


Jt'*  '-V 


Hi   ..apP^^^.y:-   J^jS!^ 


IfOOklnfc   to   tlie   Sea. 


manner  familiar  with  the  conditions  which  are 
favorable  to  that  end  should  be  turned  in  that  di- 
rection. The  writer,  firmly  believing  in  the  prin- 
ciples set  forth  in  this  section,  although  well 
aware  that  there  is  much  yet  for  him  to  learn  re- 
garding the  matter,  proposes  to  give  to  the  public 
as  the  result  of  the  observations  of  a  lifetime,  a 
series  of  articles,  wherein  will  be  contained  a 
history  of  the  experiments  made  and  experience 


gained  by  constant  contact  with  the  business  in 
its  various  forms,  hoping  thereby  not  only  to  add 
his  mite  to  the  general  fund  of  knowler''"^  of  the 
subject,  but  also  to  call  forth  from  o  ra  such 
information  as  may  have  been  gaine..  yy  their 
experience,  in  order  that,  ere  the  streams  of  our 
State  have  been  exhausted,  and  while  such  infor- 
mation may  be  of  practical  use,  that  the  public; 
may  receive  the  benefit. 


14 


if 


2.    Their  Value  as  a  Food  Product  and  the  Proper  Methods 

for  their  Protection. 


FOR  many  years  prior  to  the  advent  of  salmon 
canning  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  these  fish  in  other  parts  of  the  civilized 
world,  salmon  had  become  a  luxury  of  which 
none  but  the  wealthy  could  partake,  and  the  writ- 
er, when  a  small  boy,  heard  two  of  the  wealthiest 
citizens  of  his  native  town  (Augusta,  on  the  Ken- 
nebec river,  in  the  State  of  Maine)  argue  for  half 
an  hour  as  to  how  a  salmon  of  ten  pounds  weight 
should  be  divided  so  that  each  should  get  a  fair 
proportion  of  the  fat,  and  which  should  have  the 
head  part;  and  finally,  after  appealing  to  the  large 
crowd  of  bystanders  for  their  opinions  regarding 
the  question,  at  length  settled  the  matter  by  cut- 
ting the  fish  on  an  angle,   from  belly  to  back,  so 
as  to  give  the  one  with  the  tail  portion  a  fair  share 
of  the  belly;  and  then  paid  $1  per  pound  for  their 
portion,  and  went  home  with  smiles  on  their  faces 
and  eyes  glistening  in  anticipation  of  the  glori- 


ous feast  they  were  to  have  on  the  morrow. 
At  this  time,  which  was  about  the  year  1853, 
the  catching  of  a  salmon  at  this  point  on  the  Ken- 
nebec  river  was  of  rare  occurrence,  usually  the 
catch  for  a  season  being  three  or  four,  and  a  half 
dozen  being  a  large  take  for  the  year.  At  this 
time  the  principal  supply  of  salmon  for  the  mar- 
kets of  the  United  States  was  procured  from  the 
Penobscot  river  in  Maine  and  the  waters  of  the 
British  provinces,  namely:  Mirimichi  river,  and 
the  rivers  putting  into  the  bay  of  Chaleur;  and 
these  could  be  obtained  only  in  limited  quantities, 
and  at  a  great  expense  to  the  consumer.  Up  to 
the  age  of  eighteen,  the  time  the  writer  left  home 
for  the  Pacific  Coast,  although  some  of  his  family 
were  engaged  in  the  fishing  business,  it  had  never 
been  his  fortune  to  taste  salmon  but  once,  and  it 
is  doubtful  if  but  few  in  that  State  of  his  age  had 
ever  seen  one.     What  a  blessing  came  to  the  poor 


15 


with  the  establishment  of  the  salmon  canneries, 
and  with  their  progression,  an  increasing  benefit, 
to  that  extent  that  in  1892,  allowing  one  can  for 
two  persons,  which  is  amply  sufficient,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  millions  of  poor  people  could 
enjoy,  once  in  a  year,  such  a  luxury — and  con- 
sidering the  amount  of  nutrition  and  ability  to 
satisfy  the  appetite,  at  less  than  the  price  of  any 
kind  of  fiesh  food. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  salmon  business 
South  America  and  Australia  furnished  the  con- 
sumers for  the  product,  but  as  the  supply  increas- 
ed a  market  in  England  was  sought,  which  at  first 
did  not  take  kindly  to  the  American  product;  but 
by  the  persistent  efforts  of  a  few  of  the  principal 
dealers  in  food  products  (one  of  the  most  active  of 
which  was  the  firm  of  Felling,  Stanley  &  Co.,  of 
Liverpool,  now  one  of  the  largest  distributors  of 
canned  salmon  in  the  world)  the  article  became 
known,  and  the  people  of  Great  Britain  in  a  short 
time  became  the  principal  consumers.  A  great 
deal  of  the  prosperity  enjoyed  by  the  business  is 
due  to  the  efforts  of  these  gentlemen,  who  were 
pushing,  progressive  people,  their  perceptions  be- 
ing alive  to  the  fact  that  in  this  new  product  was 
embodied  a  nutritious  food  supply  for  the  masses  at 


the  lowest  possible  cost,  as  compared  with  the 
products  of  other  descriptions.  I  well  remember 
the  story  of  Mr.  Felling  in  regard  to  his  experience 
with  the  first  lot  of  500  cases  of  salmon  that  he 
had  purchased — of  his  efforts  to  get  his  customers 
to  take  a  few  cases  for  trial,  and  his  arguments  to 
them  that  canned  salmon  were  to  furnish  Great 
Britain  a  cheap  and  nourishing  food  for  her  la- 
boring population — his  failures  to  get  buyers  to 
take  hold  of  the  new  goods,  and  his  daily  walks 
around  the  pile  of  cases  to  see  if  any  had  been 
disposed  of;  his  discouragement  when  observing 
that,  though  a  long  time  had  elapsed,  the  pile 
seemed  as  large  as  ever.  But  after  a  time  by  pa- 
tient and  continuous  effort,  allied  to  the  fact  that 
the  article  had  the  merit  claimed,  brought  the  con- 
sumptive demand  of  Great  Britain  up  to  450,000 
cases  per  annum.  Not  much  effort  was  made  to 
create  a  demand  in  the  United  States  until  the  in- 
crease of  the  pack  had  overloaded  the  other  mar- 
kets, at  which  time  a  new  factor  came  upon  the 
scene,  in  the  person  of  J.  K.  Armsby  of  Chicago, 
who  now  occupies  much  the  same  relative  position 
in  the  United  States,  as  regards  the  distribution 
of  canned  salmon,  as^does  Felling,  Stanley  &  Co., 
of  Liverpool  to  the  same  line  in  the  English 


16 


market.  To  Mr.  Armsby  is  due  in  a  great  meas- 
ure the  rapid  extension  of  the  demand  for  this 
article  in  the  United  States,  although  there  are 
many  other  prominent  dealers. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  salmon  supply  is 
a  matter  which,  as  a  figure  in  the  food  question 
of  so  many  millions,  is  of  much  importance,  as 
well  as  being  the  source  of  so  much  wealth  to 
the  Pacific  Coast,  it  certainly  would  seem  strange 
if  the  people  of  this  country  did  not  feel  disposed 
to  foster  both  the  business  and  the  source  from 
which  it  derives  its  life.  It  is  the  desire  of  the 
writer  to  present  such  facts  for  the  consideration 
of  his  readers  as  will  shed  some  light  upon  a 
question  which,  although  it  has  been  treated  in 
various  forms  by  very  able  writers  for  more  than 
forty  years  past,  still,  in  view  of  the  success  made 
by  the  operation  of  any  plans  laid  down  in  the 
various  works  upon  the  subject,  or  benefits 
derived  from  legislation  upon  the  matter,  seems 
yet  to  the  great  majority  as  being  in  an  experi- 
mental state.  The  first  point  to  consider  in  this 
connection  is  the  question.  What  were  the  con- 
ditions of  the  various  streams  when  the  salmon 
supply  was  most  plentiful.  ?  And  it  is  easily 
answered:    There  is  no  question  but  salmon  were 


most  plentiful  before  civilization  had  begun  its 
work,  and  when  dams,  traps  and  other  obstruc- 
tions and  hydraulic  mines  were  unknown,  when 
the  sources  of  the  river  were  unsettled  and 
undefiled  by  the  sewerage  of  the  cities,  the, 
forests  at  the  head  waters  still  untouched  by  man,i 
and  the  country  yet  in  its  natural  state. 

The  effect  of  a  change  of  conditions  can  be 
best  indicated  by  a  description  of  the  situation 
on  a  few  of  the  salmon  streams  that  have  been 
either  wholly  exhausted  or  rendered  practically 
useless  for  commercial  purposes  in  this  branch 
of  industry,  and  those  that  are  rapidly  approach- 
ing that  condition. 

Taking  the  Kennebec  river,  which  was  a  fine 
salmon  stream  at  the  early  settlement  of  the 
country,  a  ■'  reflecting  upon  the  possibility  of 
the  supply  being  maintained  under  the  conditions 
which  were  in  effect  in  the  year  1853,  the  mind  is 
easily  satisfied  as  to  the  causes  which  led  to  the 
almost  total  extinction  of  these  fish.  By  this, 
time  cities  were  located  within  a  few  miles  of  each 
other  all  along  the  banks,  discharging  their  sewer- 
age and  waste  from  gas  and  dye  works  into  the 
stream,  while  at  Augusta  was  situated  a  dam 
which  was  impassible  for  any  sort  of  fish,  no 


17 


ttt^ 


t 

t 

e 

a 

^ 
3 


S 

3 

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U 
'4 


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11 


iki 


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i^ 


t 

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e 

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t 

it 


proTliIon  for  ft  fish  ladder  hating  been  made,  un- 
til through  the  exertions  of  Seth  Green  (who  has 
been  justly  termed  the  father  of  fish  culture  in 
America)  about  1857  one  was  constructed,  but  was 
soon  allowed  to  get  out  of  repair,  and  was  of  no 
practical  use.  There  were  also  a  large  number  of 
sawmills  delivering  their  sawdust  and  other  waste 
into  the  river,  the  timber  was  being  rapidly  re- 
moved from  the  tributaries  which  formed  the 
headwater  and  spawning  grounds  of  the  stream, 
while  the  lower  part  of  the  river,  in  Merry  Meet- 
ing bay  and  other  favorable  locations,  was  lined 
with  traps  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  the  es- 
cape of  a  fish  almost  an  impossibilty,  and  only  a 
very  narrow  channel  was  left  for  the  passage  of 
steamboats,  and  this  running  in  such  a  serpentine 
course  as  to  require  a  skillful  pilot  to  work  the 
vessel  through. 

The  Sacramento  river,  prior  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  hydraulic  mining  in  1853  was,  during  the 
running  season,  so  plentifully  stocked  with  sal- 
mon that  no  use  could  be  made  of  but  a  moiety  of 
the  supply,  and  we  have  an  illustration  of  the  des- 
tructive force  of  this  new  agent  when  we  consider 
the  fact  that  eleven  years  after  its  introduction 
the  Sacramento  river  was  practically  rendered  use- 


less for  commercial  purposes  as  a  salmon  stream. 

The  Klamath  river  furnishes  another  illus- 
tration of  the  destructive  action  of  hydraulic  min- 
ing upo.i  the  salmon  streams  of  the  coast.  In 
1850  in  this  river  during  the  running  seasons, 
salmon  were  so  plentiful,  according  to  the  reports 
of  the  early  settlers,  that  in  fording  the  stream  it 
wf.s  with  difficulty  that  they  could  induce  their 
horses  to  make  the  attempt,  on  account  of  the  river 
being  alive  with  the  finny  tribe.  At  the  present  time 
the  main  run,  which  were  the  spring  salmon,  are 
practically  extinct,  not  enough  being  taken  to 
warrant  the  prosecution  of  business  in  any  form. 
The  river  has  remained  in  a  primitive  state,  with 
the  exception  of  the  influence  which  mining  haa 
had,  no  salmon  of  the  spring  run  having  been  tak- 
en except  a  few  by  Indians,  as  a  reservation  by 
the  government  has  been  maintained,  until  with- 
in a  few  years,  and  no  fishing  has  been  allowed 
on  the  lower  river  by  white  men;  and  yet  the 
spring  run  has  almost  disappeared,  and  the  fall 
run  reduced  to  very  small  proportions,  the  pack 
never  exceeding  6,000  cases,  and  in  1892  the  river 
producing  only  1,047  cases. 

The  next  and  most  important  river  on  the 
coast  to  receive  consideration  is  the  Columbia,  and 


19 


i  ( 


this,  though  not  yet  exhaufited,  has  shruaken  its 
output  since  1883,  in  the  number  of  cases  pro- 
duced, more  than  one-third,  and  according  to  good 
authorities  the  product  of  1892  was  but  litde  more 
than  150,000  cases  of  true  adult  Chinook  nalmon, 
the  balance  of  the  pack  being  steel-heads;,  blue- 
backs,  and  a  small  salmon  of  a  variety  which  will 
later  receive  attention.  This,  if  true,  would  show  a 
fearful  decrease  in  the  past  nine  years,  amounting 
to  more  than  three  quarters  of  the  supply  of  the 
quality  packed  when  at  i:s  best;  and  from  both 
packers  and  fishermen  comes  the  cry  that,  al- 
tho'.igh  the  demand  for  the  article  is  good,  they 
are  unable  to  make  living  profits  from  the  pro- 
secution of  the  business.  A  contemplation  of 
this  proposition  leads  one  to  inquire  what  have 
been  the  conditions  that  have  brought  about  such 
a  result,  when  since  1883  the  number  of  canneries 
on  that  river  have  decreased  considerably,  and 
during  the  time  a  hatchery  has  been  in  operation, 
which  has  turned  out  millions  of  young  salmon 
every  year. 

Prior  to  1879  traps  and  fish  wheels  cut  a  small 
fif^ure  in  the  methods  of  taking  salmon  on  the  Col- 
ixmbia  river,  the  few  traps  in  operation  beiug 
mostly  in  the  viciuity  of  Oak  Point,  the  lower  river 


about  Astoria  being  free  from  their  influence. 
Since  1883,  however,  the  number  of  traps  at 
Astoria  and  fish  wheels  on  the  upper  river  have 
rapidly  increased,  with  a  corresponding  decrease 
in  both  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  salmon 
packed  on  that  stream,  as  well  as  a  rapid  falling 
off  of  the  profits  of  the  business.  The  question 
will  naturally  be  asked,  in  view  of  the  diflScultiea 
surrounding  the  proposition,  can  the  supply  be 
maintained  in  such  a  manner  as  to  protect  the  in- 
dustry? This  I  answer  in  the  affirmative,  if  tlie 
operations  toward  stocking  the  rivers  are  main- 
tained in  a  proper  manner,  and  the  right  sort  of 
legislation  is  had  upon  the  question  of  taking  tbe 
product  of  the  rivers. 

While  I  quite  agree  with  my  contemporaries 
upon  many  of  the  questions  regarding  the  vari- 
eties, culture  and  habits  of  salmon,  there  are  some 
of  the  most  vital  points  upon  which  I  shall  be 
compelled  to  take  issue  with  them,  the  first  of 
which  is  the  question  whether  all  the  small  salmon 
taken  by  the  traps  and  fish  wheels  are  a  distinct 
species;  the  second  being  whether  they  are  all 
male  salmon  and  all  perish  after  making  the  lirst 
trip  to  the  spawning  grounds;  and  the  third,  do 
all  adult  salmon  die  after  spawning? 


20 


nfluence. 

traps  at 

•iver  have 

decrease 

I  salmon 

I   falling 

question 

ifficultiea 

lupply  be 

(ct  the  in- 

ive,  if  the 

are  main- 

ht  sort  of 

;aking  the 

mporaries 
the  vari- 
3  are  some 
I  shall  be 
ie  first  of 
all  salmon 
a  distinct 
ley  are  all 
g  the  lirst 
>  third,  do 


As  a  brief  answer  to  these  questions,  which 
will  be  treated  more  fully  in  a  later  article,  I  will 
say  that  outside  of  the  variety  known  as  blue- 
back,  which  is  a  distinct  species  of  salmon,  and 
the  young  steel-heads,  which  are  quite  numerous, 
the  grown  members  of  whose  family  are  a  valuable 
adjunct  to  food  supply,  that  the  great  bulk  of  small 
salmon,  as  observed  by  me,  are  the  young  of  the 
true  Chinook  salmon;  and  I  deny  that  it  is  a  fact, 
as  is  claimed  by  some  very  intelligent  gentlemen, 
that  all  young  salmon  takon  by  the  traps  and  fish 
wheels  are  males,  and  consequently  might  as  well 
be  caught,  but  will  state  that  in  the  female  grilse 
at  the  age  of  two  years  not  even  a  sign  of  eggs  can 
be  found,  and  that  they  could  be  easily  mistaken 
by  a  careless  observer  for  males,  unless  the  male 
was  very  near  the  apawning  time,  when  its  seed 
would  have  developed  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
make  such  a  mistake  impossible.  Neither  can  I 
agree  with  the  proposition  that,  conceding  they 
were  all  males,  that  all  perish  after  having  made 
their  first  journey  to  the  spawning  grounds;  and 
I  should  feel  obliged  to  any  reliable  gentleman 
who  has  seen  any  number  of  the  true  Chinook 
salmon,  in  their  two  year  old  form,  without  regard 
to  sex,  lying  dead  about  the  head  waters  of  the 


Columbia  or  any  other  river  on  the  Coast,  who 
world  communicate  the  fact,  as  so  far  I  have  been 
unable  to  obtain  information  of  that  kind.  While 
it  is  without  doubt  that  in  streams  of  great  length 
the  adult  salmon  die  after  spawning,  it  is  also  a 
fact  that  in  the  shorter  streams  very  many  return 
to  the  sea  after  having  done  so,  and  it  is  unrea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  the  Creator  has  so  deviated 
from  the  law  which  Ue  has  established  with  all 
else  in  nature  as  to  have  created  salmon  with 
such  an  excess  of  the  male  species,  and  that  mill- 
ions could  be  thus  cut  off  prior  to  maturity  with- 
out damage  to  the  perpetuation  of  the  whol-^  class. 
In  view  of  this  phase  of  the  question,  what  other 
remedy  can  be  suggested  than  that  during  the 
running  season  of  the  salmon  grilse  traps  and 
wheels  should  either  suspend  operations  or  make 
some  arrangement  whereby  the  puiall  salmon  may 
escape — s  provision  for  which  in  their  construc- 
tion, could  be  easily  made.  In  no  river  having  a 
spring  run  should  be  taken  any  variety  of  salmon 
of  less  than  five  pound  in  weight.  It  would 
seem  an  unprofitable  proposition  to  undertake  to 
keep  up  the  supply  with  hatcheries,  if  their  out- 
put is  to  be  taken  in  two-year-old  form,  thereby 
losing  at  least  four-fifths  of  the  weight   which 


ai 


might  be  gained  in  another  two  years  of  growth. 
A  strict  observance  of  this  rule,  together  with 
a  reasonable  quantity  from  the  hatcheries,  would 
keep  up  the  supply  at  least,  and  would  probably 
increase  it. 

Another  very  important  factor  in  the  preser- 
vation of  the  species  would  be  the  establishment 
of  stations  on  the  lower  river,  where,  after  the 
spawn  had  been  taken  and  cared  for  at  the  hatch- 
eries on  the  natural  spawning  grounds  until  the 
eye  spots  were  formed,  and  the  eggs  able  to  bear 
transportation,  where  the  final  hatching  and 
turning  loose  could  be  done.  In  my  estima- 
tion, ten  thousand  young  fish  turned  out 
in  a  healthy  state,  at  a  time  when  they  are  able 
to  t:ike  care  of  themselves  in  the  lower  river,  just 
above  the  influence  of  bracKish  water,  are  of  more 
value  to  the  river  than  one  hundred  thousand 
turned  out  at  the  head  waters,  for  the  reason  that 
at  the  spawning  and  hatching  time  trout,  and  fish 
of  all  kinds  which  prey  upon  the  eggs  and  young, 
congregate  at  the  headwaters  and  gobble  up  both 
eggs  and  <young  fish  by  thousands.  The  turn- 
ing out  of  large  numbers  in  a  small  stream  attract 
their  enemies  of  all  kinds,  beside  giving  the 
young  fish  an  insufficient  supply  of  food,  from 


which  lack  many  perish  from  starvation.  By  foL 
lowing  this  plan  the  young  salmon  would  be 
where  their  enemies  would  not  be  able  to  find 
them,  as  well  as  being  able  to  obtain  the  food  sup- 
ply of  the  whole  stream. 

A  careful  attention  on  the  part  of  the  fish 
commission  of  the  State  regarding  obstructions 
which  prevent  the  salmon  from  reaching  the 
natural  spawning  grounds,  such  as  dams  and 
traps,  placed  entirely  across  the  streams,  would  be 
a  powerful  factor  toward  the  preservation  of  the 
species;  and  the  passage  of  a  law  which  would 
make  it  a  crime  for  taking  or  having  a  gravid  or 
spawning  salmon  in  possession,  except  for 
spawning  purposes,  with  the  assistance  of  tho 
other  factors  mentioned  above,  assisted  by  the 
operation  of  such  hatcheries  as  the  importance  of 
the  business  seems  to  justify,  would  enable  the 
industry  to  remain  as  permanent  a  branch  as  that 
of  agriculture. 

Professor  Baird  often  said  that  •'  one  acre  of 
water  was  worth  seven  acres  of  land,  if  properly 
cultivated,"  but  lam  convinced  that  the  Professor 
erred  only  in  this,  that  I  believe  one  acre  of  the 
waters  of  any  salmon  stream  in  Oregon,  if  juJi- 
oiouslj  cultivated  under  favorable  ciroumstances, 


22 


and  if  not  paralyzed  by  ignorant  or  vicious  legisla- 
tion, is  worth  more  as  a  medium  for  the  product 
of  a  food  supply  than  forty  acres  of  the  best  land 
in  the  State.  The  fact,  however,  that  there  are 
many   different  streams  which  produce  salmon 

that  have  their  runs  at  different  times  in  the 
year,  and  also  that  the  same  river  may  afford  runs 
of  different  kinds  at  various  times  in  the  year, 
makes  any  laws  heretofore  passed,  which  apply  to 

the  seasonB  they  have,  sought  to  close,  in- 
applicable to  the  necessities  of  the  case,  and  pro- 
ductive of  more  harm  than  good.  In  view  of 
this  position  of  affairs  1  would  submit  the  follow- 
ing plan  to  my  readers,  which  to  my  mind,  in 
addition  to  the  preceding  sections,  seems  the  only 
way  of  taking  a  grasp  of  the  whole  question  with 
any  certainty  of  realizing  a  benefit : 

Let  an  act  be  passed  by  the  legislature  which 
shall  provide  for  the  appointment  of  a  Chief  Pish 
Warden  for  the  State,  who  shall  have  deputies  in 
every  county,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  take  note 
of  the  different  runs  of  Salmon  and  Trout  in  his 
district,  and  report  the  same  to  the  head  of  his 
department;  and  an  act  which  shall  provide  that 
in  parts  of  such  streams,  wherein  lie  the  natural 


spawning  beds,  no  fishing  for  salmon  or  trout 
shall  be  done  for  one  month  prior  to,  nor  at  any 
time  during,  the  spawning  time  of  the  different 
runs,  and  making  it  the  duty  of  the  fish  warden 
to  close  such  portions  of  the  streani  by  posting 
notices  at  various  stations  along  the  banks,  denot- 
ing such  portions  as  shall  remain  closed  to  fishing, 
and  also  to  publish  notices  in  the  nearest  news- 
paper to  the  same  effect,  and  any  violation  to  be 
punished  by  a  heavy  penalty.  Also  an  act  pro- 
viding that  no  salmon  of  any  variety  in  any  of  the 
rivers  of  the  Si.ate  of  Oregon  should  be  taken  by 
traps,  fish  wheels  or  seines,  of  less  than  five 
pounds  weight. 

I  will  add  that  unless  some  such  steps  are 
taken,  in  less  than  ten  years  the  packing  of  salmon 
on  the  Columbia  river  will  have  become  impossible 
as  a  business  proposition,  and  in  much  less  time 
the  truth  of  this  proposition  will  become  apparent. 
But  by  the  passage  of  the  laws  mentioned,  and  the 
adoption'  of  the  suggestions  herein  contained, 
the  salmon  supply  would  be  kept  up  without  in- 
terfering with  any  other  branch  of  industry,  for 
reasons  that  will  appear  in  future  treatment  of 
other  branches  of  the  salmon  question. 


23 


n 


w 


3.     A  Short  Treatise  upon  the  Commercial  Varieties  and 

their  Habits. 


THE  varieties  of  the  genus  salmo  are  classed  by 
many  ichthyologists  as  being  of  fifty-two  dis- 
tinct species,  which  includes  all  varieties  of  the 
trout  family,  but  owing  to  the  slight  difference  in 
the  appearance  of  many  which  are  named,  there  has 
been  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the 
question.  The  fact  that  in  rivers  which  enter  the 
sea  within  a  few  miles  of  each  other,  as  well  as  the 
different  tributaries  of  the  same  river,  the  fish  will 
have  local  characteristics  which  enable  those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  various  streams  to  distinguish 
to  which  river  or  tributary  they  belong,  should 
cause  little  surprise  that  there  was  some  confusion 
in  regard  to  the  question.  The  character  of  the 
water,  alkaline  or  otherwise,  temperature,  color  of 
the  gravel  which  forms  the  spawning  bods,  color 
of  the  timber,  light  and  shade  at  the  headwaters 
— all  have  their  influence  in  the  marking  and 
coloring  of  these  fish.      A  consideration  of  the 


character  and  habits  of  the  whole  family  would, 
however,  call  for  more  ability  and  occupy  more 
space  than  is  alloted  to  the  writer,  therefore  only 
those  varieties  used  for  the  purpose  of  canning 
will  receive  attention. 

First,  and  most  valuable,  are  the  Salmo 
Quinnat,  or  Chinook  salmon,  which  are  to  be 
found  at  different  times,  according  to  locality, 
between  the  months  of  March  and  October,  in 
varying  quantities,  in  nearly  all  the  rivers  of  the 
Coast,  from  the  Sacramento  to  Alaska,  and  are 
known  at  the  latter  place  by  the  name  of  King 
salmon.  The  duration  of  their  run  alpo  varies 
with  the  locality,  and  their  quality  depends  upon 
the  season  in  which  they  are  taken,  those  of  the 
spring  and  early  summer  months  being  so  much 
superior  in  fatness  and  flavor  as  hardly  to  be  rec- 
ognized as  belonging  to  the  same  species,  when 
prepared  for  the  table.     Certain  conditions  seem 


24 


s  and 


ily  would, 

upy  more 

■efore  only 


the  Hftlmo 
are  to  be 
;o  locality, 
)ctolier,  in 
vers  of  the 
:a,  aiul  are 
\e  of  King 
alpc)  varies 
)euds  upon 
lose  of  the 
g  80  much 
y  to  be  rec- 
Bcies,  when 
itious  seem 


necessary  to  produce  a  spring  run  of  Chinook  sal- 
mon, among  which  is  that  the  river  must  take  its 
rise  in  the  mountains  of  the  interior  which  are 
clad  in  everlasting  snow,  the  melting  of  -hich 
produces  an  early  spring  freshet,  the  f res  t  waters 
extending  a  long  distance  into  the  sea,  producing 
a  growth  of  feed  that  is  favorable  to  their  reaching 
a  high  state  of  development,  thus  preparing  them 
for  the  long  and  arduous  journey  they  must  make 
in  order  to  reach  the  spawning  grounds.  The 
only  rivers  of  the  Pacific  Coast  which  seem  to 
furnish  the  conditions  necessary  for  a  spring; 
run  of  salmon  are  the  Columbia,  Sacramento, 
Ilogue  and  Klammath. 

In  these  rivers  Chinook  salmon  begin  to  run 
during  the  month  of  March,  and  a  few  have  been 
taken  even  earlier,  but  are  limited  to  small  quan- 
tities until  about  the  middle  of  April,  and  gener- 
ally continue  until  about  the  first  of  August, 
although  some  seasons  may  cut  off  a  few  days 
earlier  or  continue  a  short  time  longer.  The 
different  runs,  according  to  the  date  of  their 
arrival,  have  their  particular  objective  point,  those 
comingearliest  making  for  the  extreme  headwaters, 
while,  according  to  the  order  of  their  coming, 
later  arrivals  fall  into  tributaries  less   and  less 


remote  from  the  sea,  until  the  last  to  come  spawn 
in  the  main  river. 

Those  which  reach  the  headwaters  spawn 
during  the  month  of  August,  and  later  runs  in 
their  order  during  September  and  October.  It 
seems  necessary  for  the  maturing  of  the  eggs  of 
this  species  that  the  fish  should  remain  in  the 
fresh  water  about  four  months,  and  the  writer  will 
state  that  for  years  past  it  has  been  the  custom  at 
his  hatching  pond  to  hold  salmon  nearly  that 
length  of  time,  to  let  the  fish  ripen  for  spawning, 
even  after  they  had  been  held  in  the  river  for  some 
time  prior  to  being  placed  in  the  ponds,  and  this 
without  supplying  them  with  any  sort  of  food, 
which  seems  to  settle  the  question  regarding  their 
taking  food,  while  they  are  in  fresh  water  for  the 
purpose  of  propagation.  However,  this  is  not 
the  case  with  the  Silversides,  as  they  will,  while  in 
the  bays,  take  a  hook  readily.  The  Chinook  sal- 
mon of  the  streams  which  take  their  rise  in  the 
Coast  Bange  of  Oregon,  and  those  called  King 
salmon  in  British  Columbia  and  Alaska,  are  (mak- 
ing due  allowance  for  the  local  influence  of  the 
streams  wherein  they  are  caught)  identical  in 
character.  The  running  time  of  this  branch  of 
the  family  also    varies   with  different    streams, 


25 


those  on  the  Oregon  coast  coming  in  during 
August  and  September,  but  not  ascending  above 
tide  water  until  after  the  fall  rains  of  the  early 
part  of  November,  and  spawning  from  the  first 
of  December  to  the  15th  of  January;  while  on  the 
coast  of  California  they  are  considerably  later,  and 
in  Alaska  much  earlier,  iu  some  of  the  streams 
running  as  early  as  June  and  spawning  in  July. 
The  most  important  of  all,  except  the  spring 
Chinook,  as  regards  quantity,  and  by  many  con- 
sidered superior  in  quality  to  all  except  them,  is 
the  Blue-back,  as  it  is  called  on  the  Columbia 
river,  Saw  quai  in  British  Columbia,  and  Ked 
salmon  in  Alaska,  where  they  are  found  in  large 
quantities.  The  quality  of  these  fish  also  depends 
largely  upon  the  locality  where  they  are  found, 
the  Columbia,  Frazer,  Skeena  and  Nass  rivers 
producing  the  best.  This  species  of  salmon 
seems  to  seek,  for  spawning  purposes,  those 
rivers  that  ure  formed  by  the  outflow  of  lakes 
to  which  they  can  have  access,  and  their 
spawning  time  is  from  July  to  October,  according 
to  locahty.  The  adult  salmon  of  this  species 
weighs  from  six  to  eight  pounds,  and  their  flesh 
is  the  richest  red  color  of  any  variety  used  for 
canning  puri      as. 


The  Silversides  of  the  Oregon  coast,  or  Silver 
salmon  as  called  in  Alaska,  are  an  excellent  iish 
for  the  table  when  fresh,  but  on  account  of  their 
pale  color  are  not  so  highly  esteemed  in  the  mar- 
kets when  canned,  as  the  public  taste  has  been 
educated  to  expect  a  bright  color  as  evidence  of 
quality;  but  there  are  many  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness who  prefer  these  to  the  red  salmon  of  Alaska 
for  their  eating.  The  greater  portion  of  these 
fish  that  find  a  market  are  packed  on  the  coant  of 
Oregon,  and  their  run  begins  about  the  middle  of 
September  and  lasts  until  the  early  rains,  when 
they  leave  the  bays  for  the  spawning  grounds, 
spawning  from  the  middle  of  December  until 
February,  although  both  running  and  spawning 
seasons  vary  slightly  in  the  different  streams. 

The  Steel  Head,  or  as  it  is  variously  called, 
Sea  Trout,  Bull  Trout  or  Salmo  Trutta,  ranges  in 
weight,  when  mature,  from  three  to  twenty 
pounds,  although  some  attain  even  a  larger  size, 
and  as  regards  quality  are  about  on  an  ecpmlity 
with  the  Silversides.  This  species  may  be  found 
iu  the  rivers  at  almost  any  season  of  the  year,  but 
their  principal  running  time  is  from  January  to 
March,  and  their  spawning  season  in  April  and 
May.    After  spawning  they  return  to  the  sea  with 


26 


it,  or  Silver 
cellent  fish 
int  of  tbeir 
in  the  mar- 
ie has  been 
evidence  of 
n  the  busi- 
n  of  Alaska 
an  of  these 
the  coast  of 
le  middle  of 
raina,  when 
g   grounds, 
3mber  until 
d  spawning 
streams, 
lusly  called, 
;a,  rauf^'es  in 
to    twenty 
larger  size, 
an  ecjuality 
ay  be  found 
he  year,  but 
January  to 
1  April  and 
the  sea  with 


Dressing   and   Cleaning   Department. 


small  loss  in  numbers  from  the  effect  of  propaga- 
tion. Having  noted  the  different  varieties  used  for 
canning  and  the  various  seasons  in  Tvhich  they 
make  their  appearance,  we,  will  now  escort  a 
couple  of  the  most  royal  of  all  classes,  the  spring 
Chinook,  to  the  headwaters,  and  endeavor  to 
trace  out  the  object  and  result  of  their  journey,  as 
well  as  some  of  the  difficulties  which  they  en- 
counter. These  fish  make  their  appearance  outside 
the  bar  fof  several  weeks  prior  to  entering  the 
rivers,  drawing  nearer  as  the  time  progresses, 
as  it  seems  for  the  purpose  of  gradually  becoming 
seasoned  to  the  change  from  salt  to  fresh  water, 
which  would  seem  necessary  from  the  fact  that  a 
salmon  taken  from  fresh  water  and  placed  at 
once  in  sea  water  will  die  immediately,  and  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  reverse  would  have 
the  same  effect.  After  having  entered  the  fresh 
water  portion  of  the  stream,  they  move  up  the 
lower  portion  of  the  river  at  a  speed  ranging  from 
fifteen  to  forty  miles  per  day,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  stream,  but  as  they  ascend  the  more 
rapid  portions  at  the  headwaters  their  rate  of 
speed  becomes  greatly  diminished. 

After  having  arrived  at  the  spawning  grounds 
they  settle  in  some  deep,  shady  pool,  just  below  a 


wide  shallow  riffle  or  gravel  bar,  where  the  water 
is  from  one  to  two  feet  in  depth,  and  runs  with  a 
moderate  speed  and  a  straight  current  from  bank 
to  bank,  without  eddies  or  obstructions,  which 
cause  varying  currents.  There  they  remain, 
comparatively  quiet,  until  within  about  two  or 
three  weeks  of  spawning  time,  when  the  male 
moves  up  to  the  riffle  and  begins  the  formation  of 
the  redd,  or  spawning  bed.  This  he  does  by  root- 
ing with  his  nose  and  pushing  away  the  gravel 
with  his  powerful  tail  until  he  has  made  a  hole  or 
pit  several  feet  in  depth.  In  his  efforts  he  oflon 
makes  a  sorry  sight  of  himself,  by  having  worn 
bis  nose  until  a  good  portion  of  the  head  is  gone, 
and  the  best  part  of  his  tail  and  fins  have  uIko 
disappeared;  nor  is  he  left  undisturbed  to  perform 
his  labor,  as  when  he  has  nearly  completed  his 
bed,  after  a  severe  battle,  another  that  is  stron<,'er 
may  drive  him  away  and  take  possession,  and  he 
is  obliged  to  seek  another  place  and  build  again. 
After  the  redd  is  prepared  and  the  female  is 
ripened,  she  moves  up  alongside  where  the  male 
is  standing  guard,  and  they  deposit  together  the 
eggs  and  milt,  at  the  same  time  with  a  movcuioiit 
of  their  tails  sweeping  the  gravel  over  them  to 
protect  them  from  the  myriads  of  other  fishes  that 


28 


CoukitiK:     Departnieiit. 


I 

"Si 


are  lying  in  wait  to  gobble  them  up,  ami  this  they 
can  perform  with  only  a  small  degree  of  Buccess, 
as  the  trout  are  so  persistent  that  in  spite  of  being 
fought  away  by  the  parent  salmon  they  will  return 
and  lie  so  close  as  to  seize  the  eggs  almost  as  fast 
as  dropped.  After  the  work  of  propagation  is 
completed  they  still  remain  on  guard,  fighting 
away  any  other  fish  which  may  go  upon  the 
spawning  beds,  until,  worn  out  with  their  exer- 
tions they  will  float  down  the  stream  dead,  with 
the  exception  that  when  a  sudden  freshet  comes 
in  the  river  some  of  the  stronger  ones  may  be 
swept  down  to  the  brackish  water,  where,  although 
they  arrive  sick  and  sore,  they  take  on  new  life, 
their  sores  are  healed,  and  in  four  months  they 
are  as  lively  and  plump  as  ever. 

In  verification  of  this  proposition  the  writer 
will  state  that  at  his  hatchery  the  adult  fish,  after 
spawning,  have  been  marked  and  returned  to  the 
river,  and  four  months  later  have  been  caught, 
and  that  they  were  in  as  fine  condition  as  ever, 
beside  having  increased  considerably  in  weight. 
I  will  also  state  that  at  the  spawning  time  the 
male  fish  had  the  hooked  nose  and  long  teeth, 
which  in  some  localities  gain  for  them  the  name 
of  Dog  salmon  and  that  when  they  were  first  put 


into  the  ripening  ponds,  and  when  taken  the  sec- 
ond time  (the  following  spring)  they  showed  no 
such  peculiarity,  the  disfigurement  being  caused 
by  the  wasting  process  incident  to  the  preparation 
for  fecundation,  and  the  fact  that  no  food  was 
taken  in  the  meantime,  causing  a  shrinkage  of 
the  flesh  about  the  mouth,  leaving  the  teeth  ex- 
posed, and  a  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  the  face 
which  draws  the  nose  or  beak  into  a  hooked  shape. 
As  we  have  now  accompanied  the  lucky  in- 
dividuals back  to  the  sea  and  noted  the  result,  we 
will  now  take   another   trip  to    the    spawning 
grounds,  to  see  what  has  become  of  the  object  of 
their  long  and  arduous  struggle. 

The  eggs,  after  having  been  deposited  in  the 
gravel,  if  not  disturbed  by  a  heavy  freshet,  which 
often  sweeps  away  all  of  them  to  destruction,  lie 
secure  from  all  enemies  except  those  that  can 
work  into  the  recesses  where  they  are  hidden,  for 
a  period  which  depends  upon  the  temperature 
of  the  water.    The  higher  the  temperature  the 
more  quickly   they  are  hatched,   but  with  the 
temperature  forty-fiye  to  fifty  degrees  they  will 
hatch  in  from  forty  to  fifty  days,  while  in  Alaska, 
with  the  temperature  at  from  twenty-six  to  thirty- 
five  degrees,  it  has  taken  five  months  and  a  half 


80 


Can    IttaUliiK    Department. 


m 


1 11 1 


before  they  began  to  break  the  shell  of  the  egg. 
After  breaking  the  shell  in  which  it  was  confined, 
and  with  the  umbilical  or  yolk  sack  attached,  it 
is  a  helpless  little  object,  its  only  protection  being 
its  instinct  to  dive  into  the  sheltering  depths  of 
the  gravel,  where  it  remains,  without  taking  food, 
until  the  yolk  sack  is  absorbed,  at  which  time  it 
ventures  .forth  in  its  search  for  food,  and  at  this 
time  becomes  the  helpless  prey  of  trout  and  many 
other  enemies.  Another  source  of  destruction  is 
a  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  young  fry  to  as- 
cend every  little  branch  or  rivulet  as  far  as  they 
can  get,  and  these  little  watercourses  often  drying 
up  leave  thousands  of  these  little  fish  to  die  in  its 
bed.  Herons,  king-fishers,  cormorants,  and  birds 
of  several  other  kinds  gobble  them  up  by  hun- 
dreds, and  it  is  almost  surprising  that  any  escape. 
It  is  estimated  by  good  authorities  that  of  the 
number  of  eggs  deposited,  and  upon  which 
different  writers  vary  considerably,  some  placing 
the  number  as  high  as  12,000  for  an  adult  female, 
not  more  than  three  per  cent  of  which  ever  come 
to  maturity  in  the  natural  process  of  hatching. 
While  I  have  no  doubt  regarding  the  per  cent  that 
mature,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  number  of  eggs 
carried  by  the  salmon  have  been  much  magnified, 


as  I  have  repeatedly  counted  the  eggs  of  the 
Chinook  salmon  at  times  when  there  was  no  pos- 
sibility of  any  having  been  lost,  and  have  always 
found  exactly  four  thousand — two  thousand  in 
each  roe. 

About  fourteen  months  from  the  time  of 
hatching,  a  portion  of  the  young  salmon  start  on 
their  journey  to  the  sea,  while  the  balance  reniaiu 
in  fresh  water  another  year,  and  many  are  caugbt 
by  line  fishermen  under  the  mistaken  idea  that 
they  are  brook  trout.  Those  that  have  desceiuled 
the  river  on  their  way  to  the  sea  remain  in  the  bav 
for  a  short  time,  and  then  are  lost  sight  of  for 
about  four  months,  at  the  expiration  of  wliicli 
time  they  return  with  such  an  increase  in  weight 
as  to  appear  almost  incredible,  leaving  the  river 
when  about  seven  inches  in  length,  weighing  but 
a  few  ounces,  and  returning  weighing  from  four 
to  five  pounds,  whilo  a  few  reach  a  weight  as  high, 
even,  as  eight  pouiida.  This,  astonishing  us  it 
may  appear,  has  ha-i.i  demonstrated  at  the  Ciokl 
Beach  hatchery,  which  is  situated  near  ludiau 
creek,  to  which  the  young  salmon  migrate  \vhen 
turned  out  of  the  hatchery,  and  from  which  a 
ditch  is  taken  from  the  upper  part  to  supply  the 
hatching    ponds    with  water.      About  fourteen 


32 


1  wtigbt 


can   Fining   and   SeaHnj?   Room. 


I 


h 


I 


months  after  hatching,  unless  the  ditch  is  shut  off 
from  the  head  on  account  of  too  much  water,  these 
youngs  salmon  come  down  the  ditch  and  into  the 
ponds  from  which  they  were  turned  the  year  be- 
fore, and  have  been  caught,  marked,  and  turned 
out  into  the  bay,  where  they  wsre  again  taken 
four  months  later,  with  the  result  stated.  Anoth- 
er peculiarity  is  that  while  the  young  salmon,  on 
their  first  trip,  remain  but  such  a  short  time  in 
the  sea  before  ascending  to  the  spawning  grounds, 
the  female  does  not  show  even  a  sign  of  spawn  in 
the  roe,  while  many  young  males  will  become 
fertile,  and  even  the  young  males  of  the  same 
hatching  that  have  not  yet  made  the  trip  to  salt 
water,  although  but  a  few  inches  in  length,  will 
get  into  the  same  condition. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  at  what  other  conclu- 
sion I.  m  we  arrive  than  if  adult  salmon ,  which 
enter  the  river  in  April,  deposit  their  spawn  in 
the  month  of  August,  and  remain  until  the 
freshets  of  November  force  any  surviving  members 
towards  the  sea,  making  due  allowance  for  the 
tima  necessary  for  seasoning  to  stand  the  full 
strength  of  the  sea  water,  that  these  fish  spend 
but  a  short  time  in  ihe  ocean,  and  while  there 
take  on  a  wonderful  growth,  therefort  would  not 


be  likely  to  journey  far  from  the  streams  to  which 
they  are  common,  and  would  account  for  the  fact 
that  each  river  has  salmon  that  are  in  some  par- 
ticular peculiar  to  itself.  It  would  also  appear 
that  were  those  who  claim  that  all  salmon  die 
after  spawning  correct,  as  well  as  those  who  claim 
that  all  young  salmon  that  ascend  the  river  do  the 
same,  it  would  necossarily  follow  that  one  trip  of 
each  class  would  be  an  end  to  the  whole  of  this 
species  that  belong  to  that  river.  With  many  of 
the  theories  that  have  heretofore  been  generally 
accepted,  both  regarding  the  habits  and  culture 
of  salmon,  I  must  disagree,  as  the  light  of  my  ex- 
perience has  shown  their  fallacies;  and  it  is  also 
with  astonishment  that  I  hear  persons  at  this  day, 
in  view  of  the  success  made  in  other  branches  of 
pisciculture,  and  with  the  knowledge  of  the  des- 
truction caused  by  the  encroachments  of  (Mviliza- 
tion,  making  the  assertions  that  all  that  is  required 
to  keep  up  the  supply  is  to  allow  a  portion  of  the 
run  to  ascend  to  the  spawning  grounds,  that  Lave 
been,  or  are  in  the  process  of  being,  destroyed  by 
every  method  known  to  civilization. 

I  contend  that  without  reasonable  exertion 
for  the  erection  and  operation  of  hatcheries,  and 
the  exercise  of  wise  laws  for  the  protection  of  the 


1 

I 
1 

1 

i 

i 
1 

1 

31 


Packliiic    Room. 


M 


spawning  grounds,  and  regulating  the  size  of 
fish  to  be  taken,  the  States  of  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington,  which  now  enjoy  a  monopoly  of  the  finest 
quality  [of  salmoi  in  the  world,  will  have  soon 
lost  their  heritage.  The  lack  of  interest  mani- 
fested by  those  engaged  in  the  salmon  canning 
business  on  the  Columbia,  in  the  matter  of  their 
propagation,  is  surprising,  when  very  many  are 
aware  how  simple  and  inexpensive  is  the  process 
of  mtrely  hatching  the  eggs — in  fact,  so  simple 
that  any  cannery  could  have  a  small  hatchery. 


and  by  obtaining  eggs  in  which  the  eya  spots 
were  formed  could  finish  the  proesss,  and  when 
the  fish  were  well  developed  distribute  them  with 
little  trouble  in  the  fresh  water  branches  nearest 
their  location.  They  could  also  procure  eggs,  if 
by  concerted  action  they  would  establish  ripening 
ponds  at  the  mouths  of  some  of  the  small  streams 
that  put  into  the  lower  river,  similar  in  character 
to  those  in  use  at  Gold  Beach,  a  description  of 
which  will  be  given  in  a  future  discussion  of  the 
subject. 


'3? 


it 


(«— 


eya  spots 
and  when 
them  with 
ties  nearest 
ire  eggs,  if 
*li  ripening 
lall  streiuns 
Q  character 
cription  of 
Bion  of  the 


4.     The  Art  of  Salmon  Culture.     The  Apparatus  Necessary 

for  Propagation. 

I 


N  ORDER  that  any  readers  who  may  be  stimu- 
lated by  what  is  herein  contained  to  undertake 
the  propagation  of  salmon,  may  avoid  the  mistakes 
and  difftculties  which  were  made  and  encountered 
by  the  writer  in  his  early  attempts,  and  the  very 
considerable  expense  consequent  thereto,  a  short 
history  of  the  early  part  of  the  undertaking  may 
prove  useful,  as  well  as  furnish  some  evidence  to 
subHtiintiate  the  conclusions   to   which   1    have 
arrived  ir  tomier  articles  regarding  other  branches 
of  the  (>.;'•: !,icn.     More  than  twenty  years  ago  1 
sugf"  tod  t'    the  packers  of  the  Columbia  river 
thit     t-     rU»:,f    streams,   which    were    formerly 
abuiiJa),^'     bupplied,  had  at  that  time   become 
pr-'.tloaiJy    >'  ^.usted,  something  should  be  done 
toward  utockiug  the  river;   but  I  was  generally 
met,  with  the  remark  "that  the  salmon  would  last 
as  King  as  they  would  need  any."    A  few  years, 
however,  convinced  them  that  they  might  be  mis- 


taken, and  the  result  was  the  location  of  a  hatchery 
on  the  Clackamas  river  in  Oregon, 

Hearing  that  salmon  of  a  fine  quality  were 
very  plentiful  at  the  Rogue  river,  I  purchased  a 
locatiou  and  built  a  cannery  there  the  latter  part 
of  1870,  and  in  the  spring  of  1877,  much  to  my 
surprise,  packed  only  3197  cases,  which  was  all 
tliat  could  be  obtained  by  the  utmost  exertion, 
which  proved  that  the  reports,  except  as  to  quality, 
were  but  echoes  of  the  past;  and  thus  I  was  fur- 
nished with  the  necessity  as  well  as  the  opportun- 
ity to  put  into  practice  those  crude  ideas  which 
had  long  been  forming  in  my  mind.  As  soon  as 
I  realized  how  few  salmon  the  stream  afforded, 
operations  were  begun  towards  stocking  by  ex- 
cavating a  pond  for  holding  and  ripening  the 
adult  fish,  on  a  little  spring  branch  which  afforded 
about  one  thousand  gallons  per  hour,  during  the 
dry  season,  that  put  into  the  river  about  a  mile 


8T 


f 


V  1 


from  the  bar  or  enfrance,  and  a  small  hatching 
house  was  built  c!ose  by  the  pond.  After  com- 
pleting the  pond  and  house  I  stocked  the  pond 
with  one  hundred  adult  female  salmon  and  fifty 
of  the  male  species  of  the  finest  specimens  that 
could  be  selected.  After  this  was  accomplished  I 
made  a  trip  overland  to  the  hatchery  on  the  Mc 
Cloud  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Sacramento  in 
California,  for  the  purpose  of  observing  the 
operation  of  spn/^fning,  etc.,  arriving  therein  the 
early  part  of  August,  and  althoujh  the  superin- 
tendent was  away  the  men  in  charge  kindly  went 
through  the  operation  for  my  benefit.  After 
making  note  of  the  various  items  of  interest  I 
proceeded  to  San  Francisco,  where  by  the  kind- 
ness of  mutual  friends  I  was  introduced  to  the 
Hon.  B.  B.  Bedding,  then  secretary  of  the  fish 
commission  of  the  State  of  California,  who  proved 
to  be  very  enthusiastic  on  the  subject  of  salmon 
culture,  and  who,  when  I  stated  that  I  was  in 
pursuit  of  information  upon  the  subject,  advised 
me  to  engage  the  services  of  a  young  gentleman 
bv  the  name  of  Kirby  B.  Pratt,  who  had  been 
employed  at  the  McCloud  hatchery  for  a  number 
of  seasons;  and  acting  upon  the  suggestion  I  en- 
gaged Mr.  Pratt,  and  we  at  once  made  our  way 


to  Rogue  river,  when  Mr.  Pratt  took  charge,  and 
B:  /  ^  11  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  con- 
ten  .  pite  of  the  fact  that  he  had  previously 
had  nil  .^perience  with  fish  that  had  been  kept  in 
retaining  ponds  for  the  purpose  of  ripening,  from 
one  hundred  females,  in  the  following  spring  suc- 
ceeded in  turning  out  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  healthy  salmon.  After  turning  out  the 
young  fry,  on  account  r*  poor  health  Mr.  Pratt 
was  compelled  to  seek  a  more  genial  climate,  and 
thus  we  were  deprived  of  a  valuable  assistant  in 
our  efforts. 

Having  made  such  a  success  in  the  beginning, 
the  next  season  I  determined  to  so  prepare,  that 
we  should  correct  the  weakness  of  our  system  of 
the  year  previous  and  make  a  much  larger  output, 
and  with  this  in  view  made  the  pond  larger, 
planked  and  tarred  it,  increased  the  water  supply, 
cut  away  the  timber  that  heretofore  had  shaded 
the  place,  and  made  quite  a  clearing,  beside  muiiy 
other,  as  we  thought,  improTements  about  the 
place.  When  the  season  had  arrived  we  pliiccd 
a  fine  lot  of  salmon  in  the  pond,  but  much  to  my 
surprise  in  a  short  time  they  began  to  swim  about 
near  the  surface  of  the  water,  showing  white 
patches  in  various  parts  of  their  bodies,  which 


38 


kept  growing  worse  until  they  were  covered  by  a 
growth  of  fungus,  their  eyes  blinded,  and  finally 
nearly  all  died,  leaving  only  enough  to  give  us 
about  fifty  thousand  eggs.  At  this  result  of  what 
I  had  considered  would  enable  me  to  surpass  any 
previous  efforts,  I  was  much  disheartened,  but 
finally  concluded  that  the  trouble  came  from  the 
planking  with  which  the  pond  had  been  enclosed, 
and  that  a  liberal  use  of  coal  tar  would  correct 
that,  and  then  everything  would  go  along  in  good 
style.  So  the  next  year  I  tarred  liberally,  but  on 
placing  the  fish  in  the  pond  the  same  thing  oc- 
curred. By  this  time  I  was  so  much  worked  up 
over  the  question  that  I  determined  to  make  a 
radical  change.  I  would  no  longer  trust  planked 
ponds,  but  build  with  stone,  and  as  there  was  a 
point  of  solid  ledge  on  the  up-river  side  of  the 
cannery  I  had  the  earth  piped  away  from  a  portion 
of  it  down  to  the  solid  rock,  and  built  a  concrete 
wall  around,  enclosing  a  space  forty  by  sixty  feet, 
and  turned  iu  a  much  better  water  supply  than 
ever  before,  believing  that  I  had  at  last  solved  the 
question,  and  in  my  mind's  eye  seeing  many 
young  salmon  ahead.  You  can  imagine  my  dis- 
appointment and  disgust  when,  after  repeating 
the  operation  of  the  year  before,  the  same  result 


occurred.  To  add  to  my  eagerness  to  succeed,  the 
crop  from  the  first  year's  planting  came  in  that 
year,  and  for  a  time  the  river  seemed  alive  with 
fish,  while  with  all  the  force  we  could  muster  we 
were  not  able  to  take  care  of  half  that  might  have 
been  caught. 

The  evidence  of  the  value  of  propagation  be- 
ing so  forcibly  brought  to  my  mind  made  me  very 
anxious  to  succeed,  and  I  would  spend  hours  on 
the  point  above  looking  at  the  poor  creatures  pad- 
diiiJg  about  the  surface  of  the  pond,  and  worry 
myself  sick  in  the  effort  to  discover  a  remedy. 
One  day  while  occupied  in  this  manner  I  began  to 
reflect  upon  the  propositon,  and  asked  myself  the 
question,  under  what  conditions  was  the  greatest 
success  of  this  undertaking  made?  And  the 
recitals  of  conditions  came  in  this  order:  a  little 
pond,  a  little  water,  a  great  deal  of  mud,  and  so 
much  brush  and  trees  that  the  place  never  got  the 
sun.  "Eureka!"  I  cried,  "I've  got  it!  That  is 
what  has  been  the  trouble  !  I  at  once  began  the 
construction  of  a  building  over  the  pond  that 
would  close  out  the  light,  and  when  completed 
put  in  a  new  lot  of  salmon,  with  the  result  that 
they  showed  no  signs  of  the  previous  trouble. 
When  the  building  was  closed  the  place  became 


89 


\ 


1 


il 


BO  dark  that  the  fish  remained  perfectly  quiet, 
probably  having  the  idea  that  they  were  in  a  deep 
pool,  while  previously  they  were  bruising  them- 
selves badly  in  their  attempts  to  find  an  outlet. 
If  the  letting  in  of  the  sunlight  would  produce 
such  an  effect  upon  the  fish  that  were  in  a  poud, 
the  bottom  and  sides  of  which  were  constructed 
from  solid  ledge  and  concrete,  with  the  water  at 
a  depth  of  ten  feet,  and  fed  by  a  pure  stream, 
would  it  not  seem  reasonable  that  the  removal,  of 
the  timber  and  undergrowth  at  the  headwaters  of 
a  stream  would  produce  the  same  result  ?  Would 
it  not  also  indicate  the  origin  of  the  so-called  sal- 
mon disease  wL"  :'i  his  afflicted  these  fish  in  the 
rivers  of  Great  Britain  ? 

Having  shown  some  of  the  difficulties  attend- 
ing my  first  efforts  towards  propagation,  before 
dealing  further  with  that  question  I  will  briefly 
note  some  of  my  impressions  regarding  the  work 
at  the  McCloud  hatchery,  which  is  mentioned  in 
the  early  portion  of  this  article.  For  several 
years  this  hatchery  was  maintained  by  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  and  from  seven  to 
twelve  millions  of  eggs  taken  each  year,  that  were 
distributed  in  almost  every  civilized  country  in  the 
world,  but  with  no  apparent  beneficial   result, 


which  to  my  mind  has  had  the  effect  of  discourag- 
ing in  a  great  degree  the  government  from  ex- 
tending any  considerable  aid  to  the  salmon 
hatcheries  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  That  this  experi- 
ment should  prove  a  failure  should  cause  no  sur- 
prise when  it  is  realized  that  the  spring  variety  of 
the  Chinook  salmon,  or  Salmo  Quinnat,  which  is 
common  to  only  a  limited  area  of  our  coast,  and 
in  but  a  few  of  our  longest  rivers,  is  a  creature  of 
conditions  of  such  peculiarity  as  are  found  in  no 
other  rivers  of  the  world,  viz;  rivers  of  great 
length,  *hat  take  their  rise  in  the  everlasting  snow 
and  How  through  a  country  of  such  temperate 
climate  that  ice  is  seen  in  them  but  occasionally, 
and  then  only  for  a  very  short  time.  I  firmly  believe 
that  like  conditions  must  be  had  in  order  to  bring 
about  like  results,  and  that  to  transplant  salmon 
successfully  they  must  be  placed  in  rivers  where 
the  natural  conditions  are  similar  to  that  from 
which  they  have  been  taken. 

To  begin  a  description  of  the  process  of  pro- 
pagating salmon  artificially,  the  first  to  be  notel 
is  the  ripening  ponds,  although  if  eggs  can  be 
obtained  from  fish  at  the  natural  spawnin^r 
grounds  these  would  not  be  necessary,  althou[;li 
very  useful  as  feeding  ponds  for  small  fish.     At 


40 


Qold  B«aoh  we  hsTa  two  ripening  pondt,  about 
forty  bj  sixty  feet  each,  and  ten  feet  in  depth,  one 
of  which  extends  into  the  river  to  low  water  mark, 
which  enables  us  at  high  water  to  come  alongside 
with  the  racks  or  crates  which  contain  the  adult 
salmon  and  dip  them  into  the  pond  without  much 
trouble.  The  second  pond  is  located  upon  the 
bank  above,  and  first  receives  the  water  supply, 
which  falls  a  distance  of  about  thirty-five  feet,  and 
afterwards  discharges  through  the  waste  way  into 
the  lower  pond  with  a  fall  of  about  fifteen  feet, 
which  aerates  the  water  suflSciently,  so  that  two 
hundred  miner's  inches  will  keep  Hve  hundred 
ripening  salmon,  if  divided  equally  in  the  two 
ponds,  in  good  condition  for  the  purpose  of 
propagation.  The  pond  nearest  the  river  ie  built 
ou  a  solid  ledge  bottom,  with  walls  of  concrete, 
while  the  upper  is  of  concrete  altogether,  and 
each  being  separately  covered  by  a  low  roofed 
building,  arranged  to  shut  out  as  much  light  as 
possible. 

The  hatchery  building  is  eighteen  by  forty- 
eight  feet,  with  the  walls  about  eight  feet  in 
height,  and  is  constructed  in  such  a  way  that  by 
cloHing  the  shutters  it  can  be  made  quite  dark  in- 
■ide.    On  the  banks  above  the  hatchery,  and  con- 


nected with  the  water  main  by  a  pipe  through  its 
bottom,  is  a  tank  for  filtering  the  water  which  is 
used  in  the  hatchery,  which  tank  is  twelve  feet 
long,  four  feet  wide  and  three  [feet  deep,  with  a 
partition  in  the  middle  which  extends  from  the 
bottom  to  within  six  inches  of  the  top.  In  the 
space  where  the  water  first  enters  is  a  filter  made 
of  alternate  layers  of  coarse  gravel  and  charcoal, 
while  in  the  next  are  three  flannel  screens  in 
frames  that  slip  into  slides  which  set  on  an  incline, 
so  that  the  pressure  of  the  water  will  hold  them  iu 
place.  The  water,  flowing  up  through  the  char- 
coal filter  and  over  the  partition,  passes  through 
the  screens  and  is  carried  by  a  flume  to  another 
tank  of  the  same  size  and  kind,  except  that  it  has 
no  ciiarcoal  filter.  This  is  set  across  the  end  of 
the  hatchery  building,  and  has  two  outlets,  six 
by  twelve  inches,  one  of  which  discharges  into 
a  distributing  tank,  fourteen  feet  long  and  eight 
inches  deep  by  twelve  inches  wide,  inside  measure- 
ment, and  the  other  into  another  distributing 
tank  of  the  same  size  just  below  the  first,  each  out- 
let having  gates  or  slides  to  shut  oflf  from  the 
filtering  tank  and  divert  the  water  from  the  upper 
to  the  lower  tank,  or  the  reverse,  as  desired,  for 
the  purpose  of  cleaning  out  any  sediment  that 


41 


II 


I 


migbt  be  deposited  without  stopping  or  interrupt- 
ing the  flow  of  water  through  the  hatching  tanks 
or  troughs.  These  extend  lengthwise  of  the 
building  and  join  on  in  pairs  to  the  lower  dis- 
tributing tanks,  the  end  of  the  hatching  trough 
having  a  partition  which  comes  flush  with  the 
sides,  and  set  on  an  angle  to  suit  the  incline  of 
the  trough,  and  butts  up  to  a  joint  against  the 
distributing  tanks,  which  has  a  notch  three  inches 
long  by  one  and  a  half  inches  deep  cut  in  its  side 
to  match  a  corresponding  notch  in  the  end  of  the 
hatching  trough,  where  it  butts  against  it,  for  (he 
purpose  of  letting  the  water  flow  into  the  hatching 
troughs.  The  extreme  length  of  each  set  of 
hatching  troughs  is  fifteen  feet  seven  inches,  and 
they  are  placed  in  a  grade  of  three  inches  for  their 
length.  These  are  followed  by  another  set  placed 
in  line  on  the  same  grade,  which  receive  the  water 
which  passes  through  the  first  set.  The  troughs 
are  nine  inches  deep  and  twelve  inches  wide,  in- 
side measurement,  with  partitions  six  inches  high, 
to  form  a  series  of  dams  or  rifiles,  and  set  in  two 
feet  six  inches  apart  from  centre  to  centre. 
About  six  inches  from  each  end  of  the  space  en- 
closed by  the  partitions  a  rod  of  iron  one-quarter 
inch  in  diameter  passes  through  the  trough  aLout 


three-quarters  of  an  inch  above  the  inside  of  tlio 
bottom,  for  thepurpo-eof  forming  a  testing  place 
for  the  hatching  baskets,  so  that  a  space  may  be 
left  between  the  basket  and  the  bottom  of  the 
trough,  so  that  as  the  young  fish  are  hatched  out 
they  may  work  through  the  mesh  in  the  bottom 
of  the  basket  into  this  space.  The  obj<  ct  in  mak- 
ing the  troughs  so  much  deeper  than  the  partitions 
is  to  prevent  the  young  salmon,  after  the  sack  is 
absorbed  and  they  become  lively,  from  jumpin^j 
out,  and  that  of  placing  the  troughs  in  double 
lines  is  to  save  room  tn  I  make  a  good  passageway 
between  the  difi'erint  lines  of  troughs,  so  they  can 
be  easily  worked  in  picking  out  dead  ef,'g9. 
We  have  three  double  lines,  two  sets  in  lengtli, 
with  passages  on  all  sides,  and  these  have  the 
capacity  to  turn  out  one  million  five  hundred 
thousand  fish,  if  worked  to  the  fullest  extcn*. 
After  the  water  has  passed  through  the  hatching' 
troughs  it  falls  into  a  long  flume,  which  forms  the 
waste  way  which  comes  from  the  end  of  the  dis- 
tributing tank, where  there  is  a  gate  to  regulate  the 
pressure  of  the  water  that  passes  into  the  hatching 
troughs,  and  the  surplus  runs  into  the  waste  way, 
and  this  discharges  into  a  lank  on  the  floor  or 
scaffold  in  the  ripening  pond,  a  portion  of  which 
i'i  (See  cut  page  opposite.) 


»,...«     ■»mtrlbutiiie   Cans,   HatclilMK   ana    D l8trIbatlM|f 
Interior   of  Hatcliery,    sho^inK   Pans,   '>'*'*'^'|*"""~  ^'^ 

Tanks,   or   TroujfUS- 


m 


is  floored  over  on  a  level  with  the  wall  for  the 
purpose  of  handling  the  fish  when  spawning. 
This  tank  is  about  six  feet  long  by  four  wide  and 
two  feet  deep,  and  discharges  into  the  pond.  All 
tanks,  troughs  and  waterways  are  given  a  good 
coat  of  tar  every  season,  both  inside  and  out,  as 
well  as  all  flumes  leading  to  filtering  tanks.  The 
hatching  baskets  are  two  feet  long,  ten  and  a  half 
inches  wide  by  six  inches  deep,  the  mesh  of  which 
is  one-eighth  of  an  inch  wide  by  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  long,  and  an  excellent  one  is  made 
after  the  writer's  model  by  A.  S.  Hallidie  of  San 
Francisco. 

Next  comes  the  tables  (with  their  dumb  clocks 
on  the  wall  back  of  them)  upon  which  to  set  a 
dozen  six-quart  pans  which  hold  the  impregnated 
eggs,  one  pan  under  each  clock,  which  is  set  for 
the  time  that  each  operation  has  to  be  passed 
through,  so  that  when  the  time  has  arrived  which 
agrees  with  that  marked  by  it  the  next  manipula- 
tion takes  place.  Close  by  the  table  is  a  small 
sink  or  shallow  tank  about  three  feet  long  by  two 
feet  wide  and  six  inches  deep,  and  a  tap  to  draw 
water  as  required  for  washing  the  eggs  after  im- 
pregnation. Next  comes  the  midwives,  which  on 
account  of  their  peculiar  shape  are  difficult  to 


describe.  These  are  made  of  white  cedar  or  spru  ce 
sides  attached  to  a  back  piece  that  is  hollowed  out 
to  fit  the  back  of  the  fish,  and  the  sides  are  cut 
away  to  leave  the  belly  exposed,  tapering  f  rem  the 
tail  end  toward  the  head  for  about  three-quarters 
of  its  length,  the  balance  being  left  squa  re.  A 
head  piece  is  made  which  fits  over  it,  and  can  l)c 
telescoped  back  and  forth  to  suit  the  length  uf 
the  fish,  and  fits  over  his  jaws,  while  the  tail  is 
held  in  place  by  a  strap.  This,  although  but  a 
crude  description  of  the  apparatus,  may  serve  fis 
a  hint  to  the  beginner,  who  may,  by  the  exerciwe 
of  a  little  inventive  ability,  construct  what  lie 
needs  for  the  purpose.  (See  cut  on  opposite  page. ) 
A  couple  of  dip  nets  of  fine  twine  and  small 
mesh  (the  smaller  the  better),  about  three  feet 
deep,  and  hung  in  a  hoop  of  steel  made  of  three- 
eighths  rods,  and  two  feet  across,  attached  to  a 
pole  or  handle  about  ten  feet  long,  and  three  cr 
four  five  gallon  oil  cans  with  the  tops  cutout  ami 
a  piece  of  wood  nailed  across  the  inside  of  the  to}) 
part  to  serve  as  a  handle,  and  with  a  couple  of 
holes  cut  on  opposite  sides,  with  some  pieces  of 
fine  mesh  wire  web  soldered  over  them  to  permit 
the  escape  of  surplus  water  and  prevent  fish  from 
getting  out  when  water  is  added  in  transporting 


44 


[Spawning    Floor   in    Ripeiilnic:    Pond,    with    MldMrlves. 


"A 


I 


the  young  fish  from  the  hatchery  to  adjacent 
streams,  'with  the  exception  of  a  few  brooms  and 


buckets,  completes  the  list  of  articles  necessary  for 
the  purpose  of  salmon  culture. 


11 


^^=^f(^^^^^^,. 


■^i* 


^m 


-r^ 


46 


5-      The  Art  of  Salmon  Culture.      Propagating  the 

Fish. 


VKTB.EN  the  spawning  time  arrivos^,  the  first  to 
VV     be  done  is  to  turn  on  the  water  through  the 
filtering  tanks  into  the  hatching  troughs,  and  put 
•n  place  as  many  baskets  as  is  considered  noces- 
sarj  for  the  amount  of  eggs  expected  to  be  taken 
during  the   day.     When  all  is  in  order  and  the 
tank  that  receives   the  waste  is  filled  and  over- 
flowing, two  of  the  operatives  with  the  dip  nets 
begin  the  search  for  ripe  fish,  and  when  one  is 
secured  they  place  it  in  the  midwife,  then  put  the 
midwife  with  the  salmon  in  the  waste  tank,  where 
it  will  keep  alive  and  in  good  condition  for  a  few 
hours.     They  then  resume  the  search  for  another 
salmon  of  the  opposite  sex,  and  when  they  have 
secured  one,  place  that  also  in  a  midwife.     While 
one  operator  siezes  the  one  in  the  waste  tank  and 
sets  it  on  end  with  the  vent  of  the  fish  down,  tie 
other   does   the  same  with   the   last   one  caught, 
while  the  third  operative  holds  one  of  the  pans 


under  the  vents  o.'  both  fishes,  which  have  been 
brought  as  near  as  possible  to  each  other.  The 
manipulators  then  gently  press  the  bellies  of  the 
fish  with  a  stroking  motion,  from  the  throats 
downward  to  the  vents,  to  discharge  the  eggs 
and  milt  simultaneously  into  the  pan;  and  at  the 
same  time  the  person  holding  the  pan,  with  the 
end  of  his  fingers  resting  on  the  bottom  of  the 
pan,  in  order  not  to  jam  the  egge,  gently  s!i  s  the 
eggs  and  milt  to_'ether.  When  the  fish  are  well 
ripened  this  operation  consumes  but  a  couple  of 
minutes,  and  it  is  very  essential  that  the  operator 
should  be  particular  not  to  undertake  to  spawn 
unripe  fish.  It  is  very  easy  to  select  ones  that 
are  lipe,  as  in  the  female  the  eggs  have  been  sep- 
arated from  the  roe  when  ready  for  spawning, 
and  when  the  fish  is  set  on  the  end  with  the  vent 
down,  the  eggs  will  settle  toward  it  like  shot  to  the 
bottom  of  a  sack,  which  will  cause  a  shrinkage  of 


47 


the  upper  part  toward  the  throat;  while  the  male, 
when  ripe,  if  handled  will  eject  the  milt  with  a 
spurt.  After  this  operation  is  performed  the  pan 
is  placed  gently  on  the  table  and  allowed  to  re- 
main quietly  from  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes,  after 
which  water  is  poui .  '  gently  down  the  side  of 
the  pan  until  the  eggs  are  covered  to  the  depth  of 
an  inch  or  two  .  i.ey  then  are  allowed  to  remain 
in  this  conditio/  'i.r  an  hour,  during  which  time 
the  milt,  which  in  the  first  operation  has  formed 
a  curd,  fastening  all  the  eggs  together,  will  have 
become  separated. 

The  operator  then  takes  the  pan  to  the  wash- 
ing tank,  which  has  been  filled  with  water  from 
the  tap,  and  a  constant  stream  kept  passing 
through  it,  gently  dips  the  pan  into  the  water  with 
B  swinging  motion  floats  the  milt  or  curd  over  the 
edge  of  the  pan,  until  the  eggs  are  well  cleaned 
from  it.  It  will  then  be  discovered  that  while  the 
eggs  when  first  taken  were  of  a  pinkish  color,  now 
that  impregnation  has  taken  place  they  have  be- 
come the  color  and  have  the  appearance  of  rich 
ripe  currants.  After  the  washing  is  done  the 
operator  takes  the  eggs  to  the  basket  which  is  in 
the  hatching  trough,  and  places  the  edge  of  the 
pan  in  the  water  close  to  the  up-stream  end  of  the 


basket,  and  with  a  gentle  sifting  motion  toward 
the  other  end  deposits  the  eggs.  This  may  be  re- 
peated until  the  basket  contains  from  sixteen  to 
twenty  thousand  eggs,  the  smaller  quantity  being 
the  better,  as  it  provides  for  the  spawn  of  four  sal- 
mon, and  gives  better  results  in  hatching,  besides 
making  more  room  for  the  young  fish,  as  they 
hatch  out  and  drop  through  the  bottom  of  the 
basket  into  the  space  below,  where,  if  too  much 
crowded,  they  do  not  thrive  so  well. 

After  having  placed  the  eggs  in  the  hatching 
troughs  the  hatchery  is  kept  darkened  as  much  as 
possible,  and  they  are  allowed  to  remain  witbout 
being  disturbed  in  any  manner  until  twenty-four 
days^have  elapsed,  at  which  time  they  are  examin- 
ed and  any  dead  eggs  pi^'ked  out.  As  this  is  a 
gre^t  de^jarture  from  the  rules  laid  down  by 
many  auiLcritie«,  who  insist  on  picking  out  the 
dead  eggs  as  fast  as  they  appear,  I  will  say  that 
my  experience  would  tend  to  show  this  mode  of 
operation  to  be  wrong,  as  we  formerly  operated  in 
that  way  and  I  have  seen  baskets  of  eggs  that  were 
properly  impregnated  destroyed  by  being  picked 
over  before  the  eye  spots  and  yoke  sack  were  fully 
formed,  they  dying  faster  than  the  operator  could 
pick  them  out,  although  there  seemed  at  the  be- 


48 


ginning  lo  be  rery  few  dead  ones  in  the  basket. 
Since  adopting  the  plan  of  leaving  the  eggs  un- 
disturbed until  the  twenty-fourth  day  after 
spawning,  our  losses  have  been  less  than  one  and 
one-half  per  cent,  which  is  a  better  result  than  I 
believe  can  be  shown  by  any  other  method  of 
operation. 

Another  departure  from  the  old  style  of  hatch- 
ing trough  that  we  have  made,  is  that  instead  of 
having  a  double  set  of  partitions^  the  water  pass- 
ing over  one  and  under  the  other,  causing  a  boil- 
ing or  e-'  ly  in  the  section  where  the  baskets  arc 
placed,  we  use  only  one,  the  surface  of  the  water 
passing  over  the  eggs  with  a  natural  riffle,  they 
lying  undisturbed  below,  while  the  water  does  not 
deposit  so  much  sediment  as  in  the  old  style 
trough,  besides  allowing  the  uso  of  a  greater  vol- 
ume of  water.  While  in  full  operation  our  hatch- 
ery is  using  in  the  first  stage  of  development  about 
Bixty  gallons  of  water  per  minute.  After  the 
twenty-fourth  day  the  flow  of  water  may  be  increas- 
ed to  seventy-five  gallons  per  minute  with  good 
results.  While  the  eye  spots  are  to  be  seen  in  from 
ei^'hteen  to  twenty  days,  the  membrane  which 
forms  the  yolk  sack  does  not  become  firm  enough 
to  permit  handling  the  eggs  with  safety  until  past 


the  twenty-third  day,  while  after  the  thirtieth  day, 
by  being  kept  cool  and  moist,  and  being  packed  in 
wet  moss,  they  may  be  kept  for  several  days  and 
transported  hundreds  of  miles,  and  when  again 
placed  in  the  hatching  troughs  will  go  on  with  the 
process  of  hatching.  Someiimos  in  picking  over 
the  eggs  to  remove  the  dead  ones,  some  that  were 
good  have  accidentally  fallen  on  the  d«imp  floor  of 
the  hatchery  and  lain  for  several  days;  wlitn  pick- 
ed up,  and  again  put  in  the  basket  have  hatched  out 
as  well  as  any.  The  appearance  of  the  eye  spo^s, 
as  well  as  the  hatching  of  the  fish,  depends  on 
the  temperature  of  the  water,  the  time  mentioned 
above  being  with  the  water  at  a  temperature  of 
forty-five  degrees,  and  the  beginner  will  be  gov- 
erned by  any  variations  of  temperature,  but  must 
not  disturb  the  eggs  until  four  days  after  he  has 
discovered  the  eye  spots,  which  willaijpear  as  two 
little  black  specks  close  together  on  one  side  of 
the  egg. 

After  the  dead  eggs  have  been  rcnoved. 
which  will  b'  easily  destinguished  on  account  of 
their  having  turned  white,  all  that  need  to  be  done, 
is  to  kee}  the  water  passing  with  regularity 
through  the  hatching  troughs,  keeping  the  light 
shut  out  of  the  hatchery,   and  look  at  the  eggs 


48 


3 


Once  every  two  or  ttree  days,  picking  out  any  that 
may  have  been  injured  in  the  first  operation  of 
picking.  When  the  eggs  begin  hatching  and  the 
young  fish  commence  to  work  through  the  bottom 
of  the  basket,  it  is  well  once  a  day  to  gently  tilt 
the  basket,  first  at  one  end  and  then  the  other,  to 
allow  them  to  work  down  through  the  unhatched 
eggs  into  the  space  below.  When  the  eggs  begin 
batching,  place  fine  mesh  screens  on  the  outlet  of 
the  waste  tank,  so  any  of  the  young  fish  that  may  be 
carried  by  the  current  over  the  partitions  may  not 
be  lost.  After  all  in  the  basket  are  hatched,  which 
will  sometimes  take  several  days  from  the  time 
they  begin  breaking  the  shell,  let  them  remain 
undisturbed  in  the  hatching  troughs,  and  in  about 
thirty-five  days,  with  the  water  at  forty- five  de- 
grees, the  yolk  sack  will  have  become  absorbed, 
and  they  are  ready  to  take  feed,  which  must  be 
given  sparingly  and  pulverized  finely.  After 
being  fed  a  week  or  longer,  according  to  the 
quantity  on  hand  and  supply  of  food  to  be  con- 
veniently had,  they  are  ready,  if  desired,  for  dis- 
tributing, which  is  done  by  shutting  off  the  water 
flowing  through  one  line  of  troughs  at  a  time,  and 
placing  one  of  the  five-gallon  cans  mentioned 
under  a  vent  in  the  bottom  of  a  seclion  where  the 


baskets  rested,  then  by  withdrawing  a  plug  which 
is  driven  in  the  vent  from  the  under  side  of  the 
hatching  trough,  draw  the  water  and  young  fish 
into  the  can,  which  will  safely  transport  twenty 
to  thiry  thousand  young  fish,  with  proper  manage- 
ment, although  if  any  distance  is  to  be  made,  a 
less  number  is  easier  to  manage.  After  as  many 
as  are  required  for  the  day's  planting  have  been 
drawn  off,  the  water  is  again  turned  through  the 
hatching  trough,  the  cans  are  placed  in  a  gkiff, 
the  best  sort  having  a  platform  in  the  stern,  with 
a  bulkhead  to  keep  the  water  out  of  the  body  of 
the  skiff  and  permit  the  overflow  from  the  cans  to 
pass  overboard.  If  the  river  is  fresh,  the  person 
having  the  fish  in  charge  keeps  dipping  the  water 
from  the  stream  and  pouring  it  into  the  cans,  and 
if  salt,  the  can  must  be  set  in  large  tub  of  water, 
which  can  be  dipped  from,  poured  into  the  caus, 
the  tub  receiving  the  overflow,  the  water  being 
aerated  by  letting  it  fall  in  small  quantities  at  a 
time  from  a  height  of  one  or  two  feet.  Arriving 
at  the  mouth  of  some  fresh  water  stream  the 
young  fish  are  turned  out  above  the  action 
of  salt  water,  when  they  at  once  begin  their 
journey  up  the  stream  and  our  labor  is  over. 
It    has    been    the   practice   at    the    Gold    Beach 


60 


hatchery  to  turn  out  but  a  portion  of  the  hatching 
in  the  manner  above  mentioned,  while  of  the  re- 
maining portion  the  larger  part  are  kept  in  the 
hatchery  until  the  spring  run  of  salmon  begins, 
and  in  the  meantime  are  fed  njjon  canned  salmon 
taken  from  what  are  called  do-over  cans,  that 
have  been  left  from  the  year  before.  \V  hen  the 
cannery  starts  in  the  spring  we  turn  out  the 
young  fish,wliich,as  the  water  in  the  bay  is  per- 
fectly fresh  at  that  time  of  the  year,  remain  near 
the  cannery  wharf  and  feed  from  the  waste  which 
is  thrown  out  after  canning  their  relatives.  As 
soon,  however,  as  the  river  gets  low  and  the 
brackish  water  begins  to  encroach  upon  them  they 
move  off  up  the  river  and  into  tlie  adjacent  tri- 
butaries. The  young  fish  remaining  in  the  hatch- 
ery are  turned  into  the  ripening  pond  and  are  fed 
with  the  immature  eggs  taken  from  the  salmon 
while  canning,  upon  which  they  thrive  wondci- 
fully,  growing  in  the  same  length  of  time  to  four 
times  the  size  of  the  young  cf  the  same  hatching 
that  were  turned  into  the  tributaries,  and  become 
so  fat  and  plump  that  they  are  nearly  equal  in 
measurement  in  all  directions.  When  they  are 
four  or  five  inches  in  length,  by  taking  a  sharp 
razor  a  person  who  is  of  delicate  touch  can  cut  off 


the  dormant  fin,  which  is  located  on  the  back 
nearest  the  tail,  in  that  way  making  them  so  that 
they  may  be  easily  recognized  when  caught  after 
returning  from  the  sea,  which  has  been  done  at 
the  Gold  Beach  hatchery.  The  same  process  as 
is  herein  decribed  for  the  propagation  of  salmon 
will  also  apply  to  the  culture  of  trout,  if  the  ap- 
pliances are  reduced  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
the  fish  and  operated  in  the  season  when  their 
natural  spawning  time  comes.  The  product  can 
be  kept  in  retaining  ponds  of  like  character,  and 
when  grow'i  taken  as  required. 

In  this  brief  treatise  on  the  art  of  salmon 
cult  it  has  been  my  endeavor  to  place  before 
the  .  r,  ;i  plain  and  simple  statement  of  those 
methoiirt  which  in  my  experience  have  been  found 
most  practical  :iud  producing  the  best  results, 
without  such  a  com "lication  o'  description  as  to 
befog  the  mind  of,  and  render  tiie  work  of  no  prac- 
tical use  to,  the  beginner  in  the  art'  "  pisciculture, 
but  rather  a  safe  guide  to  any  who  may  tlosire  to  en- 
gage in  the  undertaUing  f'  i  their  own  benefit,  as 
well  as  that  of  the  community  in  which  they  are  situ- 
ated. While  the  writer  does  not  la  N  claim  to  having 
accomplished  any  great  result-  .mpared  to  what 
might  have  been  easi  y  possiuie,  a  recital  of  the 


61 


168261 


adverBe  conditions  nnder  which  the  work  has 
been  carried  forward  will  enable  the  reader  to 
understand  under  what  difficulties  we  have 
labored.  One  of  our  greatest  troubles  was  the 
water  supply,  which  at  its  best  is  limited  to  a 
email  quantity,  and  in  the  time  it  is  most  required 
nearly  drying  up.  The  Gold  Beach  hatchery  is 
also  located  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  the 
ocean,  hundreds  of  miles  below  the  natural 
spawning  beds  of  the  earliest  spring  Chinook 
salmon,  which  adds  greatly  to  our  difficultj^^s,  as 
when  the  salmon  have  just  entered  from  the  sea 
they  are  very  delicate,  not  bearing  any  rough 
handling,  besides  retaining  in  ponds  for  such  a 
length  of  time  as  is  required  for  them  to  ripen, 
calls  for  constant  watchfulness  in  order  to  keep 
up  a  steady  water  supply.  To  thic  is  added  t1 
difficulty  of  obtaining  the  adult  salmon  alive  to 
put  in  the  ponds,  as  the  fishing  on  the  river  is 
done  entirely  by  gill  nets.  The  fish  taken  by 
them  cannot  be  used,  as  when  the  mesh  of  the 
net  gets  into  the  gills  the  fish  are  sure  to  die; 
and  in  order  to  get  fish  for  the  ripening  ponds  we 
have  to  use  seines  and  fioat  the  fish  in  crates  for 
several  miles,  besides  handling  them  several  times 
when  they  are  the  least  able  to  endure  such  treat- 


ment. It  would  seem  that  in  view  of  the  simplicity 
of  the  methods  and  certainty  of  success  of  salmon 
cultivation,  good  evidence  of  which  is  shown  by 
the  operations  of  our  neighbor  in  the  Dominion 
of  Canada,  who  in  1887  had  established  nine 
salmon  hatcheries,  by  which  they  have  kept  up 
the  supply  in  the  various  sections  of  their  country, 
togvHher  with  the  showing  made  by  the  writer, 
whose  work  has  increased  the  supply  of  spring 
salmon  in  Bogue  river  nearly  four  fold,  in  spite 
of  very  adverse  circumstances,  the  record  showing 
that  it  is  the  only  river  in  the  world  where  fish- 
ing has  been  done  steadily  each  season  that  has 
shown  such  an  increase,  while  the  fall  run  in 
the  same  river,  which  has  not  been  propagated, 
has  fallen  off  in  as  great  a  proportion,  should 
satisfy  any  reasonable  mind  as  to  the  value  of 
salmon  culture,  and  stimulate  not  only  those 
engaged  in  the  business  of  canning,  but  the 
State  and  general  government,  to  assist  and 
encourage  in  every  way  possible  the  cultivation 
of  this  excellent  fish.  If  the  writer,  by  the  feeble 
efforts  which  appear  in  any  of  the  preceding 
pages,  is  able  to  awaken  any  to  the  importance 
of,  and  necessity  for  speedy  action,  he  will  have 
been  amply  repaid  for  his  exertion. 


13  » 


♦  ? 


62 


SChmiot  I    (.CO    S   P 


MARK 


EMPIRE  BRANg 


SCHMIDT  L  At  CO.S.F. 


A-  DOZEN 


FRESH 


N91TINS 


''"if  JCARLUKALASKAs'^ 

R.D.HUME. 


•  CNMIOT.L.L   CO.S.F. 


<o^^Pm^^^ 


SALMON 


12 


R. 


i  s 


U.D.H0)IIE&CO. 


SALMON  PACKERS 


AND 


•  • 


(^  jaiiBaii- KiiF -' 


-^ 


122    DAVIS   STREET, 


SAN    FRANCISCO. 


AGENTSj 

R.  D.  Hume's  Crown,  Empire,  Royal  and  Globe  Brands. 

OREGON   SALMON. 

R.  D.  Hume's  Seward  Brand— Red  Alaska  Salmon. 

Klamath  Packing  and  Trading  Go's 

Klamath  River  Salmon, 
SPRING     PHCK.  FINEST    QUALITV. 

59 


W,  M.  OrifflD,  Preit.  K  B.  Skelley,  V.  Freit. 

0.  W,  Or.fflD.  Seo'jr  and  Treu. 

(Jriffin  \  pfilzi  Company, 

PACK  BBS  AND  SHIPPERS 

CALIFORNIA  RAISINS, 

Dried  Fruit,  Prunes, 


—  AND 


RIVERSIDE    ORANGES, 


ii^ii 


8an  Francisco  OfHee,  •  132  Market  Street. 


PACKING    HOVSESi 

Riverside,    Fresno,    Armona,  Han  ford  and 
San  Jose. 


JOHN   FINN, 


MANUFACTURER  AND  DEALER 

BABBITT    METAL, 

Coppersmiths'  and  Tinners'  Solder,  Tin,  Copper, 
Zinc,  Lead,  Etc. 

Highest  Price  Paid  for  Solder 

Drosses. 


109  &  111  MISSION  STREET 

SAN    FRANCISCO,         -         CALIFORNIA. 


60 


I, 


i) 


I  Copper, 
5older 


:et 

OBNIA. 


Alaska  Improvement  Co 

9--11     MARKET    STREET, 


SKN     FRKNCISCO 


CKL. 


S^rsi 


Packers  of  CANOE  BRAND 

ENSIGN    ;     *' 


a 


ii 


KADIAK 


41 


OF 


RED     AL-ASKK     SALMON 


ei 


^CANOE    BRAND 


i^r 


m       ■ ♦ 


MW^ 


RED   ALASKA   SALMON. 


PACKED    AT 


Karluk,  Kodiak  Island,  Alaska 


BY    THE 


Alaska  Improvemefit  Company. 


3 


i^r 


ka 


^ENSIGN    BRMND^ 


RED   ALASKA   SALMON 


PACKED    AT 


TJgasliik,  Beliring  Sea,  Alaska, 


BY    THE 


ALASKA  IMPROVEMENT  CO. 


m  KADIAK     BRAND. 

RED   ALASKA    SALMON. 


PACKED    IIY    THE  

Alaska    Improvement    Co. 


Selby  Smelting  @  bead  Co. 

^16    TV^ONTGOMERY    STREET. 
SAN   FRANCISCO. 


RKKINERS    OF 


vy 


PIG    L-EMD. 


IMPORTERS  OF  AND  DEALERS  IN 


Pig  Tin  and  Slab  Zinc. 


MANUFACTUREU8 
«-or-» 


SOLDER 


♦-  roR  -» 

CANNERS 


OF  ALL  GRADES  AND  SHAPES 

WIRE,  DROPS,  RIBBON,  TRIANGUUR  and  HALFROUND  STRIPS,  21b.  BARS  and  51b.  BLOCKS. 

Perfectly  round  and  even  Wire  for  Automatic  Cappers.  Y  Hliape  wire  for  VentH. 

QUALITY  GUARANTEED,  AND  BRANDED  WHEN  PKACTIOABLE. 

64 


JAS.  HAMILtON. 


WM.  LEACU. 


BDILER  UyDRKS 


HAMILTON  Jt  LEACH, 

Proprietors. 

7VTKRINE    KND    STKTIONKRY    BOILERS. 

IRON    TANKS    AND    PLATE    IRON    WORK. 

OFKICK    AND   WORKS,   Cor.   Main   and    Folsoni   St\ 

SAN    FRANCISCO. 


-♦^♦» 


Aln  nil  facta  rcrs  of  Retorts,  TaiikN,  Coolers,  Etc  ,    for   Packers  of  Salmon,  Meats  and  Fruit. 

KEPAIR  WORK  PROMPTLY  ATTENDED  TO. 


J.  JL.  0.  BOBBS. 


J.  G.  WALL. 


HOBBS,   WALL   &   CO. 


»>♦<■ 


(aANUFACTURBKS  OF 

314  to  324  SPEAH  ST. 


->^>*<'- 


OF    BYE  It  Y  YARIETY 

fiet  poisom  and  Haffison. 


(^  SAN    FRANCISCO.  .^ 


All  kinds   of  Boxes   on  band  and 

Made  to  Order  iwltli 

Promptnemi. 


SPRVCE  I^VMBCR   POR   SAI.i;    IN 

QVANTITIBtt    TO 

»-  SVIT.  -» 


REDWOOD    CARGOES    SAWED    TO    ORDER. 

— »*^<4    Proprietors    ELK    RIVER    MILLS,    Creacent  City  .  ^>f«-- 


OIHce— Steamers  Crescent  City  and  Del  Norte  for  Crescent  City  and  Way  Ports. 

OWNINQ  AMD  OPiRATIMQ  CRE8CENT  CITY  AMD  SMITH  RIVER  RAILROAD,  TelepHone   Mo.   ijy. 


llfBI@N   SIMO^WFIO 


^^ 


DEALERS     IX 


LUBRICKTING     OILS. 


Paints,  Varnishes,  Etc.  Fairbanl('s  Pure  Lard  Oil.  Globe  Packing.  Nevada  Lubricating  Compounds. 

'M«il«^a"n1S:iaL'L^^^^^^^^^^      Binghaiiiton  Oil  Refining  Co,  of  New  York. 

No.  23 iS PEAR  STREET.  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


Telephone  6820. 


:▼.▼:¥.¥.¥; 


WIL  WiiiHOI 

DiT.SIQNER, 
And  Manufacturer  of  all  kinds  of 


Canfiifig  CDaehifiery 


jii 


iMannfactnrer  of 

THE     WEDGWOOD     CAN     CAPPER, 

PATENTED  MABCH  8tb,  1892. 

Agent  for  tbn  Burt  M'f'g  Co.  CannerA*  Tools  of  Itochester,  N.  ¥. 

PRESSES,  DIES,  MOULDS  and  all  Special  Machinery. 

BBPAIRINO    DONE    PUOMPTLY. 


23     STEVENSON      STREET. 


MBAR     FIRST, 


SAM     ritAMCISCO. 


mnmAM,  oAiii 


^  SAT BIH  C0» 


IMCORPORATCD  FEB.  7tll,  I89J. 


l7iAND  19  BEALE  STREET, 
18,  20,  22,  24  MAIN  STREET, 


SAN    FRANCISCO. 


■IMPORTERS    OF- 


HARDWARE,  IRON,  STEEL  AND  BRASS  GOODS, 

RIILROID,  CANNERS,  MININ6  AND  MILL  SUPPLIES.    IRON  PIPE,  TUBES,  FITTINGS,  ETC. 

NEW  YORK  OFFICE,   107  CHAMBERS  STREET. 

WNION~    CMS     ENGINB     CO. 

221  223  FIRST  ST., 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  GAL. 


Manufacturers  of  GASOLINE  ENGINES 
snitable  lor  small  scboouers,  sloops,  fiHhing 
boats  and  launches.  Enf^inos  from  1  H.  P.  to 
25  H.f.  We  have  famished  the  following 
racking  Companies  and  Fishermen  with  our 
Engines: — North  Shore  and  Knappton  Pack- 
iug  Go.,  Astoria;  Jno.  O.  Hanthorn,  Astoria; 
P.  J.  McGowan  k  Co.,  Astoria;  J.  H.  Lang 
worthy,  Astoria;  John  Arnqinst,  Astoria; 
Alaska  Commercial  Co.,  Alaska  (6  boats); 
bcbr.  "Nettie  Low,"  S.  F.;  Bohr.  "Mary  €,» 
S.  F.;  Sohr.  'San  Diego,"  San  Diego,  taiA 
many  others.      BEND  FOB  OATALOQUE. 


KIRK. 


NIARINE.     ^'^Ij^^^^r- 


GENERAL     AGENT 

M&niiheini  In^nP&ncB  do.,  Lt'd. 

Capital  SUMsk,  $2,000,00i).00 
Snrpliu,       -  561,819.92 


inanres   Tesaels,   Frelslits,  Catrtcoem,  Profits, 

Jtea^Btered  Mall  to  and  fl^rom  all  parts 

of  ttie    mrorld,    and    Policies 

payable  at  destination. 


Speoial  facilities  for  placing  large  lines  of  Fire  Insur- 
ance on  all  classes  of  insnimble  property,  and  assnred's 
interests  oarefally  protected  in  the  selection  of  Companies 
and  the  wording  and  description  of  Policies. 

Oorrespondenoe  in  aboT6  lines  solicited. 

Addnn:  182  Calif ornia  St,  San  Franoimio,  CtU. 


DUTTOH  8t  PAf^Tl^lDGE, 

MANUFACTURING 

STATIONERS, 

GENERAL    AGENTS 

Fop  all  the  Staodard 

AMERICAN  and  FOREIGN 

TELEGRAPHIC   CODES 

Suitable    for    Ganaers,    Shippers,    Hanafactarers     and 

Merchants,  saving  90  per  ct.  in  the  cost  of 

TELEQKAPHIO  COBRESPOND- 

ENOE,  with  absolute 

secrecy. 

PROPRIETORS  OF  THE 

D.  &  P.  LETTER  FILE, 

The  Strongest,    Best    and     Cheapest    In    the 
'World.     Xannfactarcd   In   San   Francisco. 

212  and  214  California  Street, 

SAN    FRANCISCO.    CAL. 


[DGE, 


rs 

LEION 
DBS 

tarers     and 
ost  of 


ILE, 

It    In    the 
anclsco. 

Street, 


ESTABLISHED    1853. 


E8,|    G.  M.  JOSSELYN  &  CO. 


DEALERS   IN 


SHIP  CHANDLERY, 


AND 


HflVALi    STOt^ES. 

SOLE  AGENTS 

American  Ship  Windlass  Co, 

Taunton  Yellow  Sheathing  Hetal, 
Knssell  Pnmps.    Cost  on  Signals, 
CoKon  Sail  Duck,  Etc. 

38   AND  40    MARKET   STREET, 

SAX  FRAJVCISCO,   CJL. 


Jfilleif,  ^\m  \  ^colt, 


INCORPORATED, 


BaHPWare 


Railroad,  Mill  and  Mining  Supplies, 

Brass  Goods  and  Steam  Fittings. 


SAN    FRANCISCO, 


\i% 


CAL. 


180  Stewart  Biiildinir.  New  York. 


FIRE. 


MARINE. 


Cash  Capital,  $1,000,000. 


Assets,  $3,000,000. 


INSWRKNCE  '  C07VTPANV. 

IB0TABI.ISKED     X8«3 . 


D.    J.    STAPLES,    President. 
B.    FAYMONVILLE,    Secretary. 
LOUIS    WEINMANN,   Asst.   Sect'y. 


WM.    J.    DUTTON,  Vice-President. 
J.    B.    LEVISON.    Marine   Secretary. 
S.    D,    IVES,    General   Agent. 


HEAD    office: 

S.     W.    Cor.    California    and    San  some    Streets, 

SAN    FRANCISCO,   CAL. 


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